Pokémon Scarlet
by HeleneAlexandra
Summary: SEQUEL TO POKÉMON ROSE: Read that first. Young trainers from Kanto discover conspiracies and struggle not to get in over their heads. Pokémon Red/Blue gameboy-verse. 50 years after Red and Blue's Pokémon journeys. Original 150. OCs. Long series! Part 2/6.
1. You Really Want to Know? :Gina:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 1: You Really Want to Know?

(Gina Ikeda)

Gina Ikeda pushed open the door of the Viridian City Pokémon Center and was greeted by a fresh breath of carefully conditioned air. She breathed a sigh of relief and mopped her forehead with one sleeve of her jacket, which was tied around her waist. She had taken it off hours ago and it was still way too freaking hot, even for summer.

Gina had turned thirteen the past June, but honestly didn't feel much older than she had when she first started out on her Pokémon journey. To be truthful, she hadn't gotten any closer to her goal after joining up with Gav, Kaylee, Beth and Victoria's "Rocket Thwarting" team, as they playfully called it. For the past eight months she had spent her time training her team, helping Edith with the breeding grounds, and doing odd jobs for Gav and the others when they actually needed her, which was still seldom. She didn't regret it, but the trainer's ambition she could not ignore had returned full force.

She had just left on a training expedition of her own to—hopefully—persuade her borderline Charmander into a full-fledged Charmeleon, but the stubborn guy didn't seem willing to evolve. Although it was true that the two of them had grown infinitely closer over the year they had known each other, there was still an undeniable difference between what Charmander wanted to do and what Gina wanted to do. The difference between then and now, though, was that they were willing to compromise.

Running a hand over her tightly woven braid and swinging it over her shoulder, Gina shrugged out of her backpack and reveled in the cold air. She'd only been out on her own for a week or so, and she already missed her friends. It was a little sad, but there it was. Now for one of the first times since she'd met them she was fending for herself and her own dream the way she'd originally intended to those many months ago when she had left Pallet Town.

One of the major things on Gina's mind was returning to Pallet. It had been a full year since she'd seen her mom and everyone else, and she was very eager to visit. For now though, she needed to check into a room.

Forcing herself to move forward and out from under the direct flow of the air conditioning vent, Gina headed toward the registrar and only got about halfway there.

Gina usually had a decently level head, even if she'd pretend to be angry with her friends when they were all teasing each other. Jason had rubbed off on her a little and she could definitely have her outspoken and impulsive moments. Still, Gina felt, for the most part, that she could control herself—except in very rare circumstances.

There was one of those very rare circumstances, sitting at a booth in the lobby, slouched over with his head in his hands and looking like utter crap. Rust-colored hair, which had grown slightly longer than she remembered, was spilling out between his long fingers. His hunched-over posture positively radiated tension. It was Amaris Drake, looking so very un-Amaris Drake-ish that Gina froze in her tracks and stared.

Oh, yes—if there was one person that would always be able to work Gina up into a frenzy of wild, irrational anger, it was Amaris. The two of them had not met since before Gina had even reached Edith's cottage in the forest. She had to admit, he occasionally popped into her mind, but for the most part she had thought of him quite infrequently. Rivalry was popular in Kanto, possibly because of all the legends about the rivals Red and Blue who had fought each other and worked one other up to practically unbeatable levels. In spite of this, she had not missed her rival. She hated how she always compared herself to him and hated even more how he always seemed to know it. The two of them were oil and water.

And yet he looked so utterly miserable right now. He seemed truly unaware of his surroundings, openly emoting his state of mind with abandon to the people around him. Gina wondered if he even remembered where he was. The Amaris Drake she knew would never let himself look affected by anything in front of anyone. She had no way of knowing if he even showed this side to his uncle or not.

Gina stood there for a while. She looked to the receptionist, who was fanning herself with a call slip. She looked into the hallway of the Center, back towards the little rows of doors, and calculated the likelihood of never running into him in spite of the fact that they would both be rooming here. Then she looked back at Amaris, who had still not moved. He looked sort of pale, not at all like the tan, freckly teen she had seen just eight months ago.

Insanely, Gina found herself walking over to him. Every ounce of her common sense and hard-earned level headedness was urging her to just turn around, check herself into a room, and get some shuteye. _Maybe he's on his way out. Maybe he'll be gone in the morning,_ the voice tried, using every bit of persuasion it knew how. _Just leave him be and he'll never know you were here and you won't have to put up with him at all._

Gina had sat down across from Amaris by this point, and was fully expecting, and bracing herself for, a sarcasm onslaught possibly followed by nasty whiplash. When nothing came she glanced up at the slumped boy and realized that he appeared to be half-asleep and hadn't noticed her arrival yet.

_Well, isn't this awkward,_ Gina thought to herself, shifting in her seat uncomfortably and putting her hands on her lap. Glancing around edgily she noticed that a passerby was looking at the two of them strangely, as if Gina had put Amaris to sleep by talking too much. Gina glanced sharply at the stranger and he turned away. She cleared her throat.

That one got his attention. The reddish head snapped up and strangely dark eyes glanced wildly around before settling hazily on Gina's face. It seemed to take him a few seconds to comprehend what he was seeing. Then his blank expression turned into one of cool disinterest. It was so typical Amaris that Gina almost fell over right then and there.

"Oh, it's you."

"Nice to see you, too." Gina cut right to the chase, worried that he might abruptly challenge her to a battle and eliminate her chance to do her good deed. "What's up?"

"Bug off." Amaris propped his elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers in front of his nose and mouth, supporting his head against his hands. The body language was screaming, "leave me alone" and Gina almost winced. Okay, so that hadn't worked. She should have known that Amaris would never be conned into a talk against his will. He seemed to know that she was asking him in undertones, "What's wrong?"

She tried a new strategy. This was now a challenge. "You look like you haven't slept in about a month."

Absolute silence was her only response. Apparently he wasn't going to repeat himself, but the message was still clear. Bad vibes aside, Gina took notice of the abrupt change his appearance had taken since the last time she'd seen him. She had previously thought him pale, but now she realized it was much more than that. His skin was a sickly, almost scary shade, and it only served to offer more contrast to the enormous dark circles beneath his teal eyes. Even the teal was looking more and more like murky gray than anything else. Gina figured it was because his eyes were half-lidded in a cold, unamused expression. The Center lights were simply not hitting them right, but the effect was eerie nonetheless. It looked like he had lost weight, and not in a good way. The overall conclusion: he looked like hell. Gina was actually concerned now.

Amaris had yet to comment at all on her last statement, though, and it was starting to burn at her. Only Amaris would know how much she hated to be ignored, since only Amaris ever ignored her enough to see the profound effect it had on her. Concerned or not, Gina paused for a moment and wondered exactly why she was trying to strike up a conversation with the single most frustrating boy in the universe.

"Look, could you maybe not be difficult just once in your life and tell me what's wrong?" It hadn't come out too harsh—in fact, it was just the right amount of harsh that Gina had been looking for.

The question he asked next took her off guard from her momentary high of confrontation. "And exactly why do you care all of the sudden?"

Gina bristled. "I don't. But, it's going to bug me if I don't find out now." She paused and crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest, glancing off to the left and refusing to look at him. "Believe me, it's purely selfish."

There was more silence. Gina was just about ready to get up, throw her hands in the air and leave when she noticed something very, very disturbing. She wasn't sure why she hadn't seen it before, but now it seemed painfully obvious. Red was lining Amaris' eyes, in addition to the bruised-looking purple flesh below them. He'd been crying—a lot, from the looks of it—and recently.

All thoughts of abandoning this challenge left her. Stunned into silence, Gina clamped down on her childish indignation and tried to force it away. Something about seeing a trace of actual, human emotion on her infallible rival shook her to the core. Amaris had always worked as smoothly and ruthlessly as a well-oiled machine, even when they were very young children together. To see him actually on the same level with her, and the rest of their hotheaded, emotionally wrung-out species had a profound and not at all pleasant effect on her that she couldn't quite place.

"Amaris?" she asked, and the second the word was out she knew that she'd uttered it too softly and gently. Sure enough, he shot his icy gaze to her a moment before snapping it away again. He leaned suddenly back against the booth and turned his head away from her entirely. Gina noticed that part of his scalp near his hairline was pink, probably from where he'd been clutching at his hair. She was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second, and the urge to get up and walk away was growing every moment. It was hard to stop herself from acting on it.

"Amaris, I just want to know what's going on." She cut him off before he could deny that there was a problem in the first place. "And don't you say 'nothing.' It's pretty obvious." Tough love (minus the affection) had always been predominant in their odd relationship, and this no-nonsense approach felt the most natural to her. "I promise I'll leave you alone if you just tell me. I won't bother you and I'll go check into a room and sleep all day."

He smiled a terrible, bitter smile and leaned his head back against the booth seat. The fluorescent lighting finally hit those teal eyes and revealed their true color, but it also spilled into the bags beneath them and made him appear gaunt and frightening.

"You really want to know?"

She nodded once. She hadn't expected it to work, but that wasn't even half the reason that she managed to choke on the very air she was breathing.

"Uncle is dead. And it wasn't an accident, either."

After struggling to relearn the art of breathing, Gina finally managed to stutter out, "Your—_what?_" It was not her most intelligent line, but her brain had seceded into shock.

"You heard me. Now get the hell out of my face." Amaris made to get up and leave, but Gina was too quick for him, leaping out of her side of the booth and blocking him into his with her body.

"When?" was all she asked.

Amaris was being very strange. He was antagonizing and vindictive one moment then strangely aloof and apathetic the next. He seemed to go through one of his aloof stages, but the bitterness was more potent than ever. "About a month ago." He paused, and then laughed. It was a horrible, strained sound that shot shivers up and down Gina's arms. "You know, you're quite deft at calculating the length of insomnia. Ever consider dropping the Master bit and going into psychiatry?" He smiled at her in a half-sarcastic, half-desperate way. He seemed a little bit crazy, and Gina could hardly blame him. If he hadn't gotten much sleep in the past _month_, she was amazed he was still coherent at all. "Now I've told you. You said you would leave me alone. So get."

So they were back to the antagonizing, vindictive mode. Gina steeled herself and was about to try her hand at logic and reason when he abruptly stood up and pushed roughly past her, making a beeline for the Center door. Starting into a primitive and oddly maternal instinct, Gina ran after him. It was unnecessary since he wasn't trying all that hard to outpace her, and she caught up with him right outside the door. She grabbed him by the shoulder to turn him around, which was a bit awkward since he'd successfully shot up at least six or seven inches higher than her over the years.

"Amaris, no way are you going to wander around on your own! What if they find out you're on to them and come back to finish the job?"

For a moment Amaris just stared at her as if she had Weedles crawling out of her ears. "You sound like something out of one of those crappy mystery murder novels."

"Amaris, look—" she took a deep breath to steady herself. Her heart was racing and she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her, making her jittery and shaky. Her previous heat-induced exhaustion was gone. "Just, come back in the Center with me, ok? We'll sit down, maybe order some drinks and just—just sit," she said lamely. "We don't even have to talk. Okay?"

Amaris gave her one of the coldest, deadliest glares she'd ever received. If she ever needed a photograph to perfectly encompass the word "hostile," all she had to do was snap a picture now.

Surprising her for the umpteenth time that day, Amaris deflated and said, "Fine." She didn't wait for him to change his mind. Holding the door, she ushered him inside and followed him closely, noting dully that the little silver bell that normally hung over the door must have fallen off. The swinging metal was entirely silent.

* * *

"I hadn't been to Pallet Town in a long time, and I'm not too proud to say I'd been out of contact with Uncle for quite a while."

Somehow Gina had gotten the stoic boy talking again. Sure, it had taken about an hour, many debate matches and long, awkward silences, but she'd finally worn him down. Gina was famous for her obstinance and Amaris had seen the futility in his struggle eventually. He was proud, sure, but his pride was no match for her stubbornness.

"About how long?" she asked.

"A month, maybe."

Gina was surprised. She somehow hadn't expected Amaris to be a familial person, but the truth was that Amaris' idea of "quite a while" was her idea of being pretty good in her pen-pal duties.

"I decided to come home for a visit the very same day I got the call from the police. In fact," he continued, smiling that bitter smile as he reminisced, "I'd just started to leave the Pokémon Center at Fuchsia City when the nurse flagged me down and said I had an urgent phone call. Apparently the police had been trying to get a hold of my number for a few days."

Gina shuddered. She was almost afraid to ask, so she was glad when she didn't have to.

"Then they told me someone had broken into uncle's lab. I saw the place, it's in shambles. They said he had been reported missing a few days before. But, what really got me, Gina, was that it was only _reported_ a few days before that. You know my uncle—he holed himself up for weeks sometimes, and even the assistants knew not to bug him. Makes me wonder. How long was he really missing?"

A knot of chilly dread sank into Gina's gut even though she knew the ending. There was something about Amaris' distant teal gaze and the grave quality in his soft voice that made her thrill in horror as he abruptly ended the tale much sooner than she'd expected.

"They found his body a week later near the the shore."

Gina's spine jolted in terror and then stopped abruptly, causing her body to go numb. She took a very deep, very silent breath, afraid to make any noise. Amaris' hand was resting on the table between them and in a moment of utter impulse she reached out to it.

He jerked at her touch as if it hurt him. "I don't want your _pity_, Gina. You said to tell you, and I did. Don't treat me like a grieving three-year old."

Gina retraced her arm, trying to keep her dignity, and murmured, "Not all gestures stem from pity." Then, as an afterthought, "And sadness isn't weakness."

"What are you, a fortune cookie?" he snarled, getting up abruptly from their table. His wooden chair scraped abrasively against the linoleum. "And I'm not sad—I'm just really, goddamn, _pissed_. Whoever's behind this is going to pay."

The second half had been genuine, and Gina didn't doubt him for a second. The first half, though… that had been a truly transparent attempt at covering the truth, and both of them knew it. Gina said nothing and closed her eyes. She regretted saying anything to him about emotions, and regretted trying to offer him physical comfort even more. What had she been thinking? This was not Jason, or Orion. She would need every ounce of her strength and patience to deal with this time bomb of a situation.

"Amaris, stay with me."

"I'm tired, Gina, and I'm going to go to sleep whether you like it or not."

"That's not what I meant," she said, opening her eyes and fixing them unwaveringly on his. They battled silently for a moment, neither of them blinking, before she continued. "I mean stay in the same _place_ as me, for a while. Sleep however much you want, but don't leave here. I'm not letting you go anywhere if I'm not with you."

"What the hell are you getting at? You trying to play Mommy for me, Gina? Huh? Is that it?" Amaris had never been affected by anything she said in his entire life, and yet suddenly she knew she had him pressed up against a corner and he couldn't get out any other way but by lashing out like a trapped animal. "Well, I don't want you to be my mom. So don't try to be. I'll leave whenever I damn well feel like it."

"No," she said. She was going to try to explain it to him, to logic it out, but she knew it wouldn't work the way he was now. So instead she went quiet and continued her staring contest with him. They waged their silent war for a few more minutes before Amaris looked down and away, getting up and stalking decisively across the floor and down the hall.

"Whatever," he said. "Do whatever the hell you want."

Even after he had gone, Gina sat rigid in her seat, eyes fixed on the place he had been. Her body seemed unable to react. Professor Drake was gone. From the sounds of it, he had been murdered. She hadn't really been able to think about her personal reaction to the news since the situation with Amaris had been predominant in her mind, but now she was letting it sink in. Her mind conjured up his image: the kind, quirky man with the same rusty auburn hair as Amaris and the same teal eyes, smiling at her from behind wire-rim glasses and telling her not to forget about Pallet while she explored the world. He was always such a nice person, polite, considerate, caring, eccentric in a wonderful way. She remembered his rumpled ties, and the way he could never seem to answer a video-call without some kind of technological struggle. The universe felt emptier now that he was no longer a part of it.

_And how must Amaris feel, then?_ She asked herself, struck anew by towering waves of sorrow and empathy. _His only family, since he was a baby. He's only fourteen years old. Or is he even fourteen yet? Is he still thirteen, like me? No, his birthday was back in December, so—_

Very suddenly her shock-induced, pointless train of thought was cut off. A steel clamp seemed to click loose around her midsection and Gina slouched backwards into her chair and finally allowed herself to cry.

* * *

The next morning Gina woke with a start. She wasn't at all surprised to see that she had overslept, as she had conveniently forgotten to set the alarm on her Dex. Scrambling out of bed and yanking on yesterday's pair of jeans, she flung the door open and raced out into the lobby, one thought circling through her head: _He'd better not be gone!_

Gina skidded into the Pokémon Center's lobby, her socked feet sliding wildly on the newly cleaned floors. Amaris didn't seem to be there. The woman at the front desk was observing her with concern.

"Is... something wrong?" she asked, sliding her glasses down her nose and putting away a crossword puzzle magazine.

"I—oh, hey," Gina said, an idea coming to her as she jogged over to the desk. "Could you tell me, by any chance, if a guy by the name of Amaris Drake is still checked into the—"

"Paranoid, I see." The drawling voice from behind her caused half of Gina's body to freeze in alarm and the other half to jolt, giving her the effect of someone experiencing an epileptic episode. Whirling around, she came face to face with her rival—or, face to neck, as the height difference was even more pronounced the closer they stood to each other. She managed to mutter, "Never mind, thank you," at the woman who was surveying them with interest.

"So." Gina said, moving around Amaris and heading over to an empty set of chairs. "You didn't leave, I see."

"No," Amaris sighed out sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I'm not _really_ here right now. I'm merely a figment of your imagination."

"Ew," Gina said, wrinkling her nose. "Bad imagination," she scolded it.

Amaris actually cracked a wan smile at that and sat down across from her. He looked sleepy and placid, and she hoped it was because he'd actually been to bed last night. His hair was slightly rumpled, but it did look as if he'd washed his face and bothered to upkeep his general hygiene, for which Gina was immensely grateful. A passing waiter who was carrying a pile of dishes stopped to survey them. "Would you like something to drink, kids?"

"A large coffee, black," Amaris said, and glanced at Gina in question.

"I'll take the same," she said. Gina had found that once she got over the flavor, the hot beverage was one of the only ways she could overcome her hatred of the mornings. Caffeine shots were now her friends, even if they would never aid her in growing taller.

The two sat in awkward silence for a couple of moments. Gina found it sad that when they weren't antagonizing each other they had absolutely nothing to say. That made her vaguely note that Amaris wasn't picking on her yet.

As if she'd summoned the comment from her mere thought: "Gina, are those the same pants you were wearing yesterday?"

Gina blinked and glanced down at her blue jeans with the tell-tale tear in the right knee. "Uh… no," she joked, smirking and dusting them off. "You see, I love the rough-trail look so much that I do this to all my pairs."

"Or it could be that you can't function enough to walk," Amaris said, folding his arms over his chest. "I still remember graduation."

"'Course you do," Gina said, rolling her eyes. There was always one kid who tripped or stumbled at graduation, and from their graduating class, that kid had been Gina.

The waiter brought over their coffees and the two set upon them with gusto. Gina thought to herself as she sipped her beverage. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do with Amaris. She wasn't even sure if he had silently agreed to yesterday's terms of sticking together, or if he had just wound up staying at this particular Center for one more night. _I wouldn't be at all surprised if he got up and walked out right now,_ she thought blandly to herself.

One thing was for sure: Amaris would not stand for this idle banter of theirs much longer. He just wasn't the type to waste time. He'd want to go off and seek his justice solo, and the idea of him wandering around on his own made her fidget. Gina had to motivate him not to run off alone, somehow—but what exactly did she have to offer that he couldn't find just as easily anywhere else?

_Well, let's see,_ she thought sarcastically. _I'm not an outstanding trainer, I only just started on my journey again after who knows how long, and I just so happen to be living with a bunch of people in the forest who have dedicated their lives to outing Team Rocket, an organization that's supposed to be long dead._

That's when it hit her. She stopped drinking to avoid choking on hot liquid and put her mug down. Amaris would no doubt be looking for the people or person responsible for his uncle's probable-murder. Not many people would have the motive to kill harmless, sweet Professor Drake—not unless he had something they wanted, or knew something they didn't want him to know.

"Did you ever think that maybe it was Team Rocket?" Gina asked quietly, trying to sound as if the thought had just happened across her mind.

"What?" he asked, shaking his head and furrowing his brow. Gina realized that her comment had sounded entirely random and cleared her throat to start over.

"The people who… broke into your uncle's lab," she began, unsure of how to word it. "Did you think that Team Rocket might have been behind it?"

"Gina," Amaris said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Two things. One, Team Rocket has been disbanded for roughly fifty years. Two, you don't have to avoid saying the words 'murdered' or 'dead.' You know it, I know it, and saying it out loud isn't going to make Uncle any more or less dead."

Gina was taken aback by his blunt realism for a second before she realized that it shouldn't have surprised her at all. That was Amaris, completely practical in every way, even about things that most people lost all practicality over. She would call it unnerving, but she would also call it strong.

"Team Rocket is alive and well, I'm sorry to say," she said, forging on. It was going to be so tricky, trying to keep secrets and reveal facts at the same time. "In fact, a few friends and I have… have reason to believe that their organization is, indeed, in fine working order. We've sort of been, following up on…"

Amaris was looking at her like she was speaking in tongues. He cut off her carefully censored sentence midway with, "You're kidding me."

"Afraid not," she said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. She could always tell when Amaris was judging her, which, honestly, was often.

"So that's why you hadn't gotten any stronger, huh?" He snorted, shoving his half-drunk mug across the table and leaning back into the booth. "You've been playing spy mission on a group of criminals that _doesn't exist_. That's rich, Gina. Real rich."

Gina stood suddenly. "You know what, Amaris? You are the single most difficult person I've ever met! I'm trying to say that you can find out if someone is responsible for this! I'm not crazy, and I wouldn't lie to you about something this important. If it's not them then who is it? Did you know your uncle to have any enemies, Amaris? Riddle me that."

To be honest, Amaris looked surprised and just a tad bit sheepish. At any rate, he answered the question. "No, he didn't have enemies."

"All he had was information, right? Look," she sat back down and leaned closer. "I know you won't believe that TR is up and running, but I can show you. I just need to make a phone call and clear it with my friends. They don't trust easy, and they've got good reason. A lot of them—a lot of them have stories kind of like yours, now. Weird stuff happening, things not adding up… tell me, what was the police response like?

"Essentially nonexistent," Amaris said, his chest rising and falling a little faster. Gina closed her eyes, struggling not to start crying. That would lose her this debate, which could be so important to Amaris and to finding justice for the professor.

"Are… are they looking for a killer, or did they just chalk it up to an accident?"

Amaris was quiet for an indeterminable amount of time. Gina wondered if she'd fried all the circuits in his brain from information overload. Finally, he clenched his fists on the table, and, in a surprisingly shaky voice, said, "No. They say he killed himself."

She was temporarily put out of commission by the utter idiocy of that assumption. The police really thought Professor Drake, easily the happiest person in Pallet, would commit suicide out in the middle of the ocean? They really thought someone like the professor, who was so enraptured with the nuances and delicacies of life in general, would kill himself in the first place?

_No,_ Gina thought bitterly, a flame of white-hot anger growing at her center. _They don't think that he would kill himself. But they're terrified to admit what it might mean if he didn't. They either don't want to, or are being stopped from admitting the truth._

This had been Gav and Victoria's depressing conclusion a few months back. With ten pairs of eyes reading over Gav and Kaylee's data from years of research, the conclusion had been simple. If a bunch of teens could deduce that something was wrong, and no rumors or speculation appeared in the media at all, something was being blocked. Either the police were honestly turning a blind eye to the rising string of crime in Kanto and the strangeness of the disappearances and deaths, or something was preventing them from reporting it to the newspapers and TV stations. The idea had always been a terrifying one to Gina, but she was slowly growing used to this strange new world she had discovered with the others.

Amaris was shaking, and Gina moved to sit down next to him. They'd never sat side-by-side before, and the position was awkward. Amaris was clamping his hands against the edge of the table, probably in an attempt to get them to stop trembling, but to no avail.

Gina wasn't sure what else to do. She was afraid that if she tried to get an arm around his shoulders, or any other sign of friendly comfort, he would explode.

"Gina," he said softly. He seemed to be trying to work himself up to something the rough equivalent of climbing a mountain. "I…" There was another pause during which he convulsively swallowed and looked away. "… Want you to take me to those friends of yours. I'd really like to ask them some questions."

Gina could barely contain herself. Her first impulse had been to leap up and holler at the ceiling, perhaps pumping her fist in the air and breaking out into a little victory dance right there on the tabletop. Needless to say that would have been inappropriate. Instead she solemnly nodded before noticing that Amaris wasn't facing her and therefore couldn't see it. She cleared her throat and said, "Of course. We can leave whenever you want."

"How about right now?" Amaris said, getting to his feet abruptly. Gina scrambled out of his way and stood awkwardly at the side of the table. "And Gina?"

She had turned away to walk to her room to pack, but now regarded him again. "Yes?"

"You had better not be pulling my leg."

* * *

_Author's Note: Welcome to Scarlet! Major, major love to my readers who came back :) Those of you who read but don't review, I love you too. I'd love your input if you have the time!_


	2. Shaping Up to be Fun :Gav:

Chapter 2: Shaping Up to Be Fun

(Gav Harrison)

"There was a robbery along Route 22," Gav started, running a hand through his short hair. "It doesn't seem related, though."

"I agree. More likely a few rowdy bikers," said the girl beside him. She pushed her long red hair away from her face and held it at the back of her head while groping around the table for her clip. Her sister located it and handed it to her, receiving a grateful smile for her efforts.

Victoria and he had been poring over their new police reports for the last hour or so, carefully calculating each possibility and gauging the likelihood of Team Rocket's involvement. So far they'd been drawing blanks, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The less information they found, the less danger they ultimately put themselves in, and he had to admit they'd been doing infiltration work a ton recently. They more than deserved a break, but Gav knew he, and Victoria, too, wouldn't sleep right if they hadn't fairly and evenly judged every single incident and deemed them all unworthy of attention.

"Honestly, the Warren thing seems to be the best bet."

"I agree," Gav said, pulling forward a printout. "It's also the most unusual." It sported a photo of a man with long, mangy black hair grinning with a tattooed arm slung around a very short, uncomfortable looking businessman. The headline read: _Vincent Warren of Vermillion Gym endorses Silph Pokémon performance enhancers._

"Vincent Warren, leader of the Vermillion City Gym, is the first to publicly endorse Silph's controversial new Pokémon performance enhancer. Dan Adler, the head of Silph's product safety department, assures the public that the enhancers are 100% natural and pose no health risk to Pokémon.

"'Of course, these would be absolutely illegal in tournaments and Gym battles,' Adler states. 'The purpose of this product is mainly to give Pokémon a boost when a trainer desperately needs a fully functioning team… like, if they are stranded outdoors and can't make it back to civilization any other way.'

"'That's why they make a little thing called _Potions_,' Rick Baldevia countered. Baldevia is an active member of Saffron's branch of the Pokémon Liberation Front. 'This is a thinly disguised steroid and I sincerely hope the public won't stand for it. I don't know what Warren is thinking, getting behind something like this.'"

Gav put down the article. "Yet another sign pointing towards Silph," he said, making a note in the corner of the printout with the date and the word SILPH underlined.

"Put 'er in the pile," Victoria said, shoving one of their many accordion files towards him.

"Dang, guys, does the stack ever end?"

The new voice belonged to Gav's thirteen-year-old sister, Kaylee. She must have moseyed into the room earlier, but he hadn't heard her entrance. She was sipping a small carton of orange juice held languidly in one hand and rubbing the back of her shoulder with the other. Judging by the amount of sweat gathered around her brow and dampening her red t-shirt, she'd just gotten through with a training session.

"Hey, Kay. And yes, the pile has to end somewhere… we're just not sure if it'll be during this century or the next." Gav lifted his head up for the first time in hours and felt a vertebrae pop. A mix of pain and pleasure washed over him and he groaned as blood flow returned to his brain. Soon thereafter he dropped his head back down onto his folded arms.

Kaylee moved to hover over his head and he could feel her hands working into his hair, twirling the jet-black strands around her fingers. "Did I tell you how happy I am that you let me cut your hair?"

"Only about four times today. You're slacking off."

"Well, I'm happy. You don't look so girly anymore!" she asserted, sliding down into a chair beside him.

"Oh, thanks," he said, laughing and rolling his eyes. "And you didn't tell me I looked girly _before_ because…?"

Kaylee grinned. "Hey, you're my brother. That would be like you telling me I'm annoying—oh, wait. You do!" she said, slugging him playfully in the arm after pretending to think on it. Gav half-laughed and half-winced—play punches from Kaylee were no laughing matter, as his once gangly sister had become almost solid, lean muscle over the past few months. She'd always been active, but her training sessions as of late had truly toned her gangly form to the height of physical performance. Now she could probably run the eight-minute mile no problem, and Gav had a sneaking feeling she'd be able to bench-press him if he asked her to.

It was always a bit depressing to realize that your kid sister could kick your ass.

Victoria spoke up for the first time since Kaylee had made her presence known in the kitchen. "I think I need a break. I just forgot how to spell the word 'banana.'"

Gav snorted, then paused. "Wait—there's the word 'banana' in one of the stories?"

Victoria hid a smile. "Someone tried to make off with a bag of expensive fake fruit crafted out of emeralds, rubies and topaz."

Gav couldn't help but laugh at that one, and Kaylee just gave Victoria an incredulous expression. "Why in the _world_ would somebody take gemstones and turn them into _fruit_?"

They were still pondering that when the front door opened. Gav figured it was Jason or Orion, since he could never hear Zahlia or Edith moving around the house. However, when a loud, "ouch!" in a female voice rang through the house, Gav stood up. He'd know that sound anywhere, as the owner of the voice always hit herself on the shoe rack when coming in. "Gina?" he called, frowning. "What are you doing back so soon? Did you forget something?"

It sounded like there was an ongoing struggle between Gina and the shoe rack. "I… brought someone to see you guys—dammit, hold on—" The very familiar sound of the shoe rack finally tipping over and spilling its contents all over the floor came to Gav's ears. A few moments later a very flustered Gina appeared at the kitchen door.

"… Anyway, this is A—"

Gina cut herself off then as she noticed she had entered the kitchen alone. After a double-take she went back outside and returned a moment later with a perturbed boy. He didn't look necessarily ill, but he did look as if he hadn't slept in quite a while. Gav, who was a notorious insomniac, recognized the symptoms.

"This is Amaris," Gina continued now that she actually had her guest with her. "He's… well, got some information… and wants to get some information, too." Gina suddenly looked as if she wasn't sure how to word anything, but Gav's interest had perked up.

"You're that guy we ran into in Viridian, what… last fall?" he asked Amaris.

"About eight months ago," Victoria affirmed. Gav glanced at her briefly, frowning. Had they really been holed up in Edith's cottage for that long?

"I think I recall some of you, yes," Amaris said blandly.

There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence, and Gav glanced up at Gina. "Mind if we—"

"Yeah, I figured we should," she said, moving off to go with Gav into a different room. "I'll, uh, be right back," she said to Amaris, who was giving her a look that was an interesting blend of betrayal and mutiny. "Two minutes," she insisted, before Gav and she closed the kitchen door behind them.

He turned to her at once and let out a breath. "Okay, I figure you have good reason to trust this guy and all, but what's going on?"

"I'm sure he'll recap all of this with you later, but the cliff notes version is that his uncle was probably murdered." Gav's eyebrows shot up and Gina looked instantly uncomfortable. "The circumstances surrounding this whole thing are… well, suspicious to say the least. I figured we might learn more about what's going on from him, and in turn maybe he can find some answers too."

Gav hesitated for a moment, mulling this information over in his head. He vaguely wondered how Victoria and Amaris were holding up in the other room. Neither of them seemed like the friendly type, and he hoped they were being civil. He also hoped Kaylee wasn't overwhelming the guy with questions.

"Sorry that this is so abrupt," Gina said. "I realized I should call on the way here but my Dex is acting up."

"I'll take a look at it," Gav said at once, his standard techno-geek response. "Well, if this is the guy you've known since childhood, I'd like to try to help him. It's just, not a good idea to get too many people involved in all of this," he explained. "Hope you understand."

Gina averted her eyes and nodded, seeming embarrassed. "Sorry," she said again. "If it helps I don't really know anyone else and I promise this is the last stray I'll bring home."

Gav smiled and nodded. "Alright. Let's go see what we can do."

Amaris regarded him in an incredibly skeptical way as Gina and Gav made their way back into the kitchen, and for a moment Gav was sharply reminded of the first time he had met Victoria. Gina shot Amaris a look as if she were telepathically transmitting him images of his own bloody dismembering, and he stared right back for a moment before clearing his throat and smoothing his expression from brooding to businesslike.

"I have reason to believe that there was foul play involved in the recent death of my uncle," he began professionally, and Gav would have probably choked to death if he had been attempting to eat or drink anything at the moment. This guy had just said those words as if announcing the results of a statistical reading. "Gina seems to be under the impression that the criminal group Team Rocket is still around, and suggested I speak to you about the possibility of their involvement." The last part was dripping with sarcasm, and Gav sighed.

"Team Rocket is certainly far from disbanded," he said, shaking his head and taking a breath to gather his thoughts. Thankfully, Victoria jumped in for him as he contemplated the best thing to do in this situation.

"So, what happened, exactly? And how long ago was his death?"

Gav glanced over at her with a small smile. Good old Victoria. Over the time they'd spent together they'd grown much closer; they could practically read each other's minds and very rarely disagreed on anything work-related.

Amaris didn't look happy with this line of questioning. Shooting Gina an indecipherable glance, he began again slowly. "A month ago. That's when I got the call from the police saying that someone had broken into his lab—"

"Lab?" Kaylee interjected from beside Gav, and Amaris stopped speaking and gave her a slow, mutinous stare. Gav made a mental note:_ new guy does not like being interrupted._

"My uncle is—was—the head Professor at the Oak Pokémon Research Center in Pallet Town." The slip-up didn't appear to cause Amaris any emotional duress—he'd merely breezed over the mistake the way one would correct a typo. Gav was a bit put off.

"Wow," Kaylee said. "Impressive. So you're from Pallet too, then?"

"Yes," Amaris said. His expression was one of intense annoyance, and Gav glanced briefly at Kaylee, hoping this wouldn't escalate into something unpleasant. "Can I continue my retelling?"

"Of course," Gav interjected before Kaylee could retaliate. "Go on, we're listening."

* * *

"So, why do you think the Rockets would have been after your uncle?"

The four of them (Gina, Amaris, Victoria and Gav) were gathered around the living room coffee table, each with a mug of their respective beverage in their hands. Kaylee, who loved all food at molten temperature had brewed up the batch of coffee and tea, and Gav estimated it would be about five more years before the substance had cooled sufficiently.

Amaris was tracing his fingers around the edge of his cup, clearly deep in thought. He still didn't seem comfortable, but Gav was more than understanding. The boy had lost his uncle just a month ago and was now in an undoubtedly awkward Q & A session. It was a bit too similar to the police interrogations he and Kaylee had gone through.

"I'm not entirely sure," he said at last, sounding almost abashed that he couldn't conjure up a viable reason for his uncle's murder. "I helped him with some of his research when I was a kid… not much, just computer data entry and sorting through his papers and things like that… but I don't recall anything that would lead Team Rocket to him. Then again," he lifted his weary gaze to focus on a spot over Gav's right shoulder, "I haven't worked with him in years."

Gav frowned, running a tan hand through his hair and sighing. "Is there any way we could take a trip to your uncle's lab? Maybe there are some clues in there." He knew it sounded very forward, but he wasn't willing to vacillate where the Rockets were concerned.

"No good," Amaris said, shaking his head. "Not yet, anyway. They broke into his lab, as I said before… they left nothing intact. Not even his research books; everything's been ransacked."

Gina leaned back in her chair, looking stricken and somewhat pale. Gav wasn't sure, but he had a suspicion that Gina had known and liked the professor very much. It was hard not to in a town as small as Pallet, he reasoned. It was also staggering how much valuable information the world had lost when Professor Drake's life's work had been destroyed. Some of it must have been backed up elsewhere, but he was certain a lot of it had been kept solely in-house. He caught Amaris stealing a glance at the Gina with a grim expression on his face before returning his attention to his still-steaming mug.

Victoria appeared to switch tactics. "So, how long have you and Gina known each other?"

It seemed random, but Gav knew Victoria was testing Amaris' trustworthiness. As of now they only had Gina's word to go on, and were a little hesitant about divulging information to just anyone. Gina and Amaris exchanged a glance, and finally Gina answered.

"Since birth, pretty much," she said. "We've both lived in Pallet all our lives."

That seemed to placate Victoria a bit, and Gav took over. "Well, Amaris, before we continue I'd like you to know you are free to stay here while we look into this situation. It might actually be best if you do."

He caught the smile that came to Gina's face as well as the closed-off, uncomfortable look that flitted across Amaris'. The two exchanged another look, and Amaris said to Gav, "I'm not sure I feel comfortable with that."

"It'll be way easier than us always having to call you," Gina tried to reason. "Plus this location is pretty secure."

Amaris didn't respond. Dropping the subject again, Gav said, "did you eat today? It's going on four."

"No," Gina said, nibbling her lip. "I'm starving."

"No thank you," Amaris said. Gina shot him a glance. Amaris looked back at her and frowned. "I'd rather not waste time. If I've said everything that you need to know, I'd like to hear how you'll help me."

There was another awkward little pause. Gav exchanged a look with Victoria, then jerked his head very slightly towards the kitchen over her shoulder.

Victoria raised an eyebrow at him, but got up and cleared her throat. "Gina, let's start cooking and let Gav and Amaris talk this out."

Gina seemed very hesitant. She exchanged a look of her own with Amaris, and he shrugged at her before looking away. Gina nodded to Victoria, and the two headed off. Soon it was just Gav and Amaris in the living room.

Gav sighed, knowing how this conversation would have to go, and regretting it. "Believe me, I understand. I've been in a situation very similar to yours."

"Oh?" Amaris asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Yes. Almost identical, in fact." That was all he was willing to divulge at that moment. "My sister and I, as well as our friends have been gathering information about scenarios like this for years now." He drummed his fingers across the wood of the table, staring at the pattern in the grain. "Before we go any further, I really can't stress enough how much secrecy matters to us. It would not be good at all if news of our work got out. Can we trust you to keep quiet?"

"Of course," Amaris responded at once. "I'd be in just as much... danger, as you, I imagine, if word about this conversation leaked." The way he said the word "danger" made Gav think he was not quite taking this seriously yet. That was alright, so long as he would keep his mouth shut.

Gav nodded slowly. "As for what we can do to help you… I can't promise you that we can deliver you immediate results, but I _can_ promise that we're doing a hell of a lot more than the police right now. If you want information, we're the people to come to."

"Information… have you ever been able to bring anyone to justice?" Amaris asked, his expression now flat and unreadable.

Gav didn't like the way this line of questioning was going, and surprisingly enough found himself growing defensive. He was normally very slow to anger, but this was a sensitive topic and he took a moment to organize his thoughts. Everyone else in the house was smart enough to not bring up the painfully slow pace of Gav's project. In fact, no one in the house really cared that it was slow-paced. They all understood that doing something was better than doing nothing, even if they weren't going to shake the planet just yet. However, they also knew that every day that went by with no justice served was another day of silent stress for Gav. "No," he responded truthfully, after a moment. "We plan to turn over our evidence to trustworthy people in power once we have something absolutely irrefutable."

"So, for now, you are gathering information, storing it, and not doing anything to actually stop the crimes."

Gav raised an eyebrow. He wasn't a fan of repeating himself, and Amaris already knew the answer to this question.

"I see." Amaris got up. "Thank you for your time. I'll see myself out."

"You..." Gav started uncertainly, not knowing how he was going to finish that thought. Amaris was already checking to make sure he had all of his personal items and even now was slinging his pack onto his back. Gav got up as well, not sure if he should follow or get Gina. He settled for heading into the kitchen where the three girls were stuffing some sort of red concoction into fat round noodles. Gav sighed, alerting them to his presence, and each one looked up at him questioningly.

"Your friend doesn't seem to want our help. He's taking off."

"Frick." Gina said, turning to run off. She paused halfway there, though, ran her hands under the faucet, and ran out of the kitchen while patting them dry on her sauce-stained jeans. Gav and Victoria exchanged a look, and Kaylee sighed.

"Well, this is shaping up to be fun."

Gav headed out into the living room again, unsurprised to see that Gina had left the front door wide open. He walked over to shut it, but not before peering outside. He could see Gina and Amaris in the distance, talking. She was making exaggerated hand motions and he was standing stark still, his arms crossed.

Victoria made a sound from somewhere over his shoulder. "Didn't go well, I take it."

"He wants the people responsible for his uncle's death hogtied and brought to him at once. I don't think he's in the right frame of mind to realize that this will be a waiting game."

"I can see that," Victoria allowed. "Wonder how he would feel if he knew that you and Kaylee have been waiting for justice for years."

"Probably would just discourage him even more at this point." Gav shrugged. "We'll see if Gina can talk him down. It's his choice, really. I just hope he finds what he's looking for."

"And keeps his mouth shut," she said at once.

"Yes, I touched on how important that was."

"Did he seem to understand?"

"If his word is worth anything, he won't talk."

"Hmm."

They shared silence as they watched Amaris and Gina walk off towards a bench near the Pokémon pen and take a seat. They were mostly out of eyeshot now. Gav could only see part of Gina's brown hair and a patch of her violet shirt.

Victoria remained for just a moment longer, but didn't linger. "I'd better make sure Kaylee isn't burning down the house."

Gav smiled and watched her go, then decided to put away the stacks of paper that had been accumulating throughout Edith's house. He knew that their gracious, but very obsessive-compulsive hostess had a big problem with dust and was struggling to turn a blind eye to Gav and Victoria's growing piles of paperwork.

At that moment the door flew open and Jason trotted in, barely remembering to wipe his sneakers on the welcome mat. "Hey, Gav. Anyone wanna tell me why that guy's out there?" He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder towards the Pokémon pen.

"He's here for help," Gav said simply. "Gina brought him in."

"She _brought_ him here?" Jason asked, frowning and blinking a few times. "Well… okay then, good to know armageddon is around the corner. I've got a few things I want to do before I die."

Gav snorted, shaking his head and smiling. "So, they have a history, I take it?"

"Well, yeah," Jason said, taking off his sneakers. "They pretty much hate each other. I'm a little confused as to why she made the 'move along' gesture at me when I tried to go over to them. I figured he was giving her a hard time or something."

"They're having a pretty serious talk, I'd imagine," Gav said. "He wants our help with something, but we're sort of working out the kinks."

"With what?" Jason asked, getting up and frowning.

Gav hesitated. "I'm not sure if I should—"

"Ah, okay. No pressure." Jason lifted his hands in the air and nodded. "If he decides to actually ask for help 'formally' though, I'll wanna know."

"Sure, yeah," Gav said. He and the others had made an official "no secrecy" pact long ago. Keeping things to themselves out of embarrassment or lack of trust was utterly counterproductive now. Gav was already pretty sure that Amaris would not enjoy this pact, if he decided to work with them about his uncle's case, but he would have to get used to it.

A few minutes later, Gina and Amaris re-entered the living room. Jason gave Gina a look with raised eyebrows, and she gave him a stiff, somewhat mechanical smile. Jason moved over to Amaris, and Gav noticed that he was standing up straight and trying to make his shoulders seem broader than they were.

"Hey," Jason said to him, putting a hand out in an attempt at a greeting.

"I'd like to talk with you some more," Amaris said to Gav, completely looking past Jason. Jason bristled slightly at this, and Gina moved off towards him to do damage control. She did shoot a venomous stare at the back of Amaris' head, though.

Gav got up. "Sure," he said. Something told him this would be a very, very long process. He made a mental note to request coffee soon. "We can talk over here."


	3. I'm an Awesome Friend :Jason:

Chapter 3: I'm an Awesome Friend

(Jason Fremont)

"Man, I don't get it. You _hate_ him."

"_Hate_ is a bit of a strong word," Gina said, leaning down to touch her toes. Her hair was getting long again, and the braid brushed over her neck and into the dirt. "I'll go with 'detest.'"

"Okay, 'detest,'" Jason said, rolling his shoulder and twisting his body to the left to stretch his side. "I still don't get it."

Gina sighed, straightening up and grabbing the end of her braid to brush it clean with her fingertips. "He needs help. That much is pretty apparent."

Jason didn't say anything to that, but a discontent look was still lingering across his face. He glanced off towards the house, where he knew the professor's nephew and Gav were still discussing things. They'd been at it all day, and it was well into the evening now. When he looked back at Gina he found that she had moved down to his right foot and was tying his shoe.

"Aw, c'mon! I can do that myself!" he protested, wiggling his foot free from her and sitting down to take over the task.

She only stuck her tongue out at him and smiled. "I'd let you tie _my_ shoe," she said lightly, wiggling her feet in his direction.

Jason raised an eyebrow at her and gave her an amused, confused smile. "Thanks, for that. A real honor, that is."

"We running or what? Hurry up!" she said, getting up and jogging in place. Jason hastily threw the laces into a knot and jogged after her quickly, as she had started without him and had a small lead on him. "Nice try!" he said as he outpaced her quickly, angling off to circle the substantial property surrounding Edith's cottage.

"You have longer legs!"

"Not my fault!" he crowed back at her, laughing as she lunged to try to pinch him in the side.

Running every evening, training every morning, and occasionally venturing out into Pewter or Viridian were the only things keeping Jason sane. When Gina had left a few days ago on a training journey of her own it had taken all of his willpower not to let on how jealous he was. He often referred to Beth, Victoria, and Gina as the "free birds" of their gang, unassociated with Gyms or strange occurrences and therefore able to travel freely without fear of being spotted. They didn't even need fake IDs, which annoyed Jason to high hell in spite of the fact that he rather liked his own.

Selfish as it was, he was sort of happy she had come back so soon. Training with Orion was alright and all, but his brother just didn't have a competitive edge. He humored Jason because he knew he needed the experience, but beyond that, hardly anyone else wanted to train with him. The thought of an upcoming battle with Gina bolstered his mood incredibly and distracted him just enough from their current idle situation.

Jason doubled back to make his second loop and did a quick double-take as he saw a flash of a green skirt around the edge of the house. Edith was out feeding the Pokémon, and Jason let his eyes follow her progress a little as he slowed a fraction as well. Gina caught up with him and tagged him, laughing.

"Ooh la-la," she teased, speeding up to get away from him as he scowled and gave chase once more.

Gina was still laughing in between trying to catch her breath when they stopped running twenty minutes later, slowing down to a walk and heading to the back. Jason still wore his scowl, but it was tempered with embarrassment and slight humor.

"You're a terrible friend," he grumbled as he sat down and stripped off his white t-shirt and used it to mop at his face.

Gina flopped down on the grass next to him and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, still chuckling. "I'm an _awesome_ friend."

"No," Jason argued. "You suck."

"If you weren't so obvious, I wouldn't make fun," Gina said. He could see her satisfied smirk out of the corner of his eye and groaned.

"See? This is you sucking."

Gina's grin downgraded, and she leaned back to stretch out her hamstrings. "Does it _really_ bother you?" she asked. "Because if it _really_ bothers you, I'll make an effort to stop."

Jason grumbled under his breath and shrugged. "No, not really. I just wish I had something to tease _you_ about."

He looked over at Gina just in time to see her look of absolute disbelief. "Really? You can't think of anything to tease _me_ about? Jason, it's _me_. And here I thought you were my best friend."

Jason laughed and slapped his forehead theatrically. "How could I even think such a thing? Silly me."

Soon the two were squaring off for a battle. The motions were so familiar that Jason had to grin. He had been resigned to waiting a month or so for another good battle, and here he was getting experience three days later. Jason double-checked to make sure they were the requested fifty feet away from the Pokémon pen (so as not to disturb any overly emotional Pokémon that might be staying within.) Then he grinned at Gina in the dusky night and threw out his first Pokémon just as she did.

Sandshrew emerged in a haze of bright red and a moment later Jason's Nidoran joined him.

"Free-for-all, or—"

"Yes," Gina responded, grinning. "Go!" she said to Sandshrew, who immediately rolled into a ball and shot towards Nidoran. Nidoran dodged and Jason shouted, "pin 'im!"

Nidoran knew this to mean Poison Pin, and obeyed at once, firing out barbs towards the still-rolling Sandshrew. Sandshrew's hide deflected most, but a few stuck and he mewled angrily. Gina shouted, "left!" and Sandshrew kicked a flurry of dirt over to the left, successfully bathing Nidoran in it completely. Nidoran coughed and barked in protest, and Gina had to shout "look out!" as Nidoran shot out to tackle Sandshrew a moment later.

Partway through the battle Jason became aware that they were being watched. He turned towards the back door of the cottage just in time to see the professor's nephew crouch down near the pens, staring in at the Pokémon that were crowding to get a look at him. Gina stopped calling orders to Sandshrew, and the two rodents put a halt to their battle. At once they walked over to one another and sat down amicably to chat.

The newcomer looked over at them, but Jason couldn't tell much else from this distance during the night. A moment later, however, he had gotten up and was strolling towards them. Jason glanced at Gina's profile, but couldn't figure out what she was thinking.

"Don't let me interrupt," the nephew said, in spite of the fact that he had come over and done just that. Jason sighed slightly, turning to watch the two Pokémon, who were now grooming one another. Or, Sandshrew was grooming Nidoran, he should say, and since Sandshrew's OCD far outclassed Edith's, Jason was quite sure his Pokémon would be completely spotless in moments.

"So, ah… are you staying?" Gina asked uncertainly. Jason looked up from his mildly distressed Nidoran to also glance at the new guy.

"It would appear so, for the time being." He turned abruptly to Jason and asked, "You're one of the Fremonts, yes?"

_Hello, Mr. Blunt._ Jason bit down on the typical unpleasant feeling he normally got when someone pinned him as his father's son. "Ah-huh," he said, going for take two of a friendly handshake. "Jason. I forgot your name," he said truthfully.

The guy didn't shake his hand for the second time in a row and Jason felt more than a little annoyance. "Amaris Drake," he said, before turning back to Gina and phasing out Jason's existence. "… the Harrison brother would like to see you when you're done out here."

"… Gav," Gina said. "There are a lot of us, but his name is pretty easy to—"

"Well, carry on," Amaris said, turning away from them and cutting Gina off mid-sentence. Jason cringed; one of Gina's biggest pet peeves was being interrupted, and suddenly he thought he knew where she had developed this quirk. Gina glared at him as he walked away, but the look soon faded from her face. She sat down and patted her knee, and Sandshrew reluctantly left Nidoran alone to romp over to Gina. Nidoran looked a little dazed, and shook his head out a few times. He certainly looked cleaner.

Sandshrew began grooming Gina's jeans while she rubbed his head, still looking lost in thought. Jason walked over closer and sat down near her.

"What's up?" he asked.

She looked up at him and bit her lip slightly. "Well, I guess since he's staying now, you all will find out eventually," she said. "The reason he needs help from us, is that his uncle recently… passed away," she finished, pausing before that term.

"Passed away?" Jason asked, already feeling slightly cold at the implication of those words.

"Well, Amaris suspects foul play," Gina said, putting it delicately. "Don't know much else, but… yeah."

"Wow," Jason said, a moment before it actually sank in. "Wow," he said again, with more feeling this time. He ran a hand through his messy blond hair and blinked a few times, trying to wrap his mind around that. "I can't believe it. He… seemed like such a good guy."

"He was," Gina said, swallowing hard and moving her hand down to rub at Sandshrew's back instead. "It's…" she didn't finish her sentence, and Jason felt a surge of awkwardness mixed with sympathy. After an inner struggle he moved a little closer to her side and, even more hesitantly, put an arm around her shoulders. He thought she smiled slightly in the dark, and briefly put her free hand on his arm as a thank you before dropping it back down to her knee. He stayed that way for a few seconds, then moved a few inches away.

"Have you, uh, been in touch with anyone from Pallet since you got the news?" he asked.

"No," she said, her voice thankfully steadier. "I should really call mom tomorrow." Gina shook her head. "I sort of wonder why she didn't tell me."

"She probably didn't want to interrupt your journey with such bad news," Jason said. "I can't imagine it's a secret or anything, in a town that small."

"No," Gina agreed. "Can't be." After a moment she returned Sandshrew and got up. "Gonna go see Gav. Sorry our battle got cut short."

"Hey, no worries," Jason assured her, smiling. "Come get me later on, if… you know."

"Yeah," Gina said, chuckling very slightly. "Thanks."

"Mm," Jason grunted in response, so incredibly uncomfortable it wasn't even funny. Gina moved off into the night towards the cottage and he watched her silhouette shrink.

Jason knew it was a strange thing to think, but he couldn't help feeling that this was suddenly a lot more real than it had been before. Of course he was still very nervous about the possibility of his dad finding him or Orion, and he had heard the story of what had happened to Gav and Kaylee's parents and grandfather. It just hadn't hit him as hard since he had managed to go his whole life without ever knowing someone who died. Now that record was broken and he found himself struggling to remember what the professor had looked like and how he had behaved. He remembered his weird outfit from the Expo, amazingly, and remembered thinking that the professor had a "thing" in his wardrobe, the way Jason wore his cargos at different lengths. That brought a sad smile to his face, and he tilted his head back to look up at the night sky.

He was unsure if they could help Amaris out, but Jason definitely understood now why Gina had brought him here. Jason also definitely didn't feel bad for himself anymore. There were way worse things to go through, and he made a mental note not to complain about cabin fever anymore.


	4. What He Told Himself :Orion:

Chapter 4: What He Told Himself

(Orion Fremont)

Orion Fremont woke up with a headache. It was getting to be a usual thing in the mornings, but over the past months he had gotten it all down to an art. He would wake up, reach to the side of his table and chug the large glass of water waiting for him there. Then he would wait until the throbbing subsided a little and slide out of bed to go grab himself a cup of Edith's herbal supplement tea. He was such a frequent drinker of it that the tin of tea was now labelled "ORION."

Gav looked up at his arrival and hitched a smile onto his face. Orion caught the way Gav gave him that concerned once-over, as if checking to see if Orion was going to leave behind a limb. Most people in the cottage did that to him these days. "Morning," Gav said to him, and Orion nodded in acknowledgment.

He dragged out his tin of tea and started the kettle on the stove. Edith had already filled it with water for him, so all he had to do was flick on the gas burner. Orion was zoning out at the image of his own pale, drawn face in the shiny surface of the teakettle when an unfamiliar form passed behind him in the reflection. He jumped slightly before he remembered who it was.

Amaris, evidently, was an early riser too. Orion was used to seeing only people like Edith, Gav and Beth when he first got up and started milling around. Zahlia too was a morning person, but she wasn't often seen puttering about indoors. Usually she would be out training her Pokémon in the forest and would come back when the more sluggish members of their household had risen from the dead.

As it turned out, people were more sluggish than usual when it came to rising on this particular morning. Jason emerged from his room looking like a wannabe rock star with his hair done up in insane cowlicks, which was only rivaled by Gina's tangled mass of dark brown hair. They cracked up when they caught sight of each other, and Orion shook his head at them.

"Did you really sleep last night, or were you out all night at a terrifying hair seminar?"

"Hah," Gina said in a flat voice, turning it into a yawn. "Forgot to braid it before I went to sleep. I'm being punished for my indiscretion now."

"I just defy gravity," Jason replied as he walked over to the kitchen and started digging through the fridge. "How you feelin'?"

It was as common as the concerned once-over these days. Orion smiled mechanically. "Headache, but other than that, I'm fine."

Victoria was actually the last one to emerge, which was odd in and of itself. She was not fond of early mornings for sure, but to see her emerging from the room she shared with Beth past ten was unusual.

"Sleep okay?" Orion asked her.

"Not at all," she replied honestly. "I was up most of the night running scenarios in my head."

Victoria was their resident Devil's advocate, and while some of their more idealistic, optimistic members found her pessimism discouraging and annoying, it did have its uses. She was always able to figure out what could possibly go wrong with any plan, and as such, helped them prepare for those possibilities long before they would be in any tricky situation.

"Gav around?" she asked, twisting her hair into a clip.

"Yeah, he's outside with Edith. I think he's helping with the morning feedings." The morning feedings could either be totally peaceful and uneventful, or a flurry of frantic Pokémon flailing and screaming, depending on how the Pokémon felt on any given day. Orion didn't really understand why getting fed could be fine one day and completely disagreeable the next, but he couldn't blame them for being a little loopy. He himself had joined the ranks of slightly loopy as of late.

Victoria moved off to find Gav and Orion took a seat in one of the armchairs in the living room, waiting for everyone to get settled and turn on their brains. Today they were going to figure out the general plan for their next move, which was a group trip to Saffron City. Gav came back in with Victoria, sporting a nice cut on his left hand which Victoria was peering down at. So apparently it had been a loopy day for the Pokémon. Edith took care of the wound with surgical efficiency, and by that point the laggers had made it to the living room.

"So, Saffron," Jason said, flopping onto the floor and leaning back against the sofa, where Edith was seated behind him with her feet curled up beneath her. Like it was the most natural thing in the world, she twisted one of his crazy cowlicks up into an even crazier formation on his head, so it now looked like he had a little horn. They did things like that sometimes, little gestures that bordered on couplehood, but never quite tipped over into the official territory. Their tentative almost-flirtation tickled Orion, but at the same time he had to wonder if Jason was going to ultimately succeed or fail in his clumsy courtship.

Gina took a seat on the arm of Orion's armchair, and Amaris stood beside her with a rigid posture, his arms crossed. Gav ran a hand through his hair again, a nervous gesture, and sighed. "Well, the point of our upcoming trip to Saffron City is to check out some leads at the Silph company. We're looking to see if we can figure out what the encrypted messages are about, and also what's going on with Warren."

"Most of the message seem to be in-house Silph messages, but not all of them are," Victoria added. "So if we see anything else in Saffron that seems strange, we have to check that out too."

Amaris sighed from next to Gina, and Orion felt the armchair shift as she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry," Amaris said, and Orion peered around Gina to see him rub the bridge of his nose. "But this seems so very banal. We're investigating Silph because they decided to up their security so a bunch of 13-year olds have a harder time hacking into their email?"

"A lot of us are seventeen," Kaylee countered, glaring over at Amaris and drumming her fingers in agitation against her thigh.

"Oh, I stand corrected," Amaris responded, sarcasm dripping from his every word. Orion cleared his throat, catching Gav's nervous look across the room.

"A little off-topic," he began, "but if it's possible, I'd like to stop in and see my mom."

Jason's face lit up from his place near the couch, and he got up on his knees, sitting up straighter. "Could we?" he asked Gav.

"If you're sure your father won't be in the area, I don't see why not…" Gav said, exchanging a look with Victoria.

She shrugged. "Yeah, by all means. Just, you know…"

"Be lowkey," Orion finished. He exchanged a grin with Jason. The Fremont brothers seemed to hear those words no fewer than five times a day.

"Sorry," Gav said with a smile. "You know what to do. We're hoping to leave before the week is out, so today would be a good time to start packing and prepping. It'll be the typical thing, stake-out, intel-gathering, regroup, and attempted infiltration and extraction of relevant information." There were nods around the room, and as one, people started to get up and head slowly off.

Amaris walked a few steps forward so he could turn around and face Gina, now looking utterly baffled. "That was gibberish. What, exactly, do you people do on missions like these?"

Gina bit her lip while she thought, and Orion contemplated getting up from the armchair to give them some speaking room, but he was way too comfortable and also rather curious. Amaris had an edge to him for sure, but Orion was among the members of the household that was not holding that against him. Anyone would be behaving strangely after the loss of a relative, though, according to Jason, Amaris was generally always unpleasant.

"Gav, Victoria, Kaylee and Beth are usually—"

"I have no clue who any of those people are." Amaris said bluntly, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Except Gav. He's the Harrison son."

Gina let out a terse, short sigh. She spun Amaris around so he was facing away from her, out to the rest of the living room where the others were in little groups, talking and moving away. "Beth, brown hair and the turquoise shirt, laughing. She's Victoria's sister. Victoria, who you seriously should know by now, is the redhead talking to Gav. Kaylee, the one you managed to irritate during the meeting, is in the red shirt. She looks just like Gav so I'm sure you can figure out they're siblings."

"I won't remember that for quite a while, but if it makes you feel better to drill it into my head, feel free," Amaris said, and Orion hid a smile. Gina let go of him so he could turn around again.

"Anyway. Those four are usually the ones who come up with the plan. That can be anything from intel-gathering, to stake-outs, to information gathering. When—"

"What?" Amaris interrupted yet again, and Gina looked ready to snap. Orion got up and inched over to the sofa where Jason, too, was watching Amaris and Gina's conversation gradually degrading into a verbal cage match.

"If you had let me finish, I was going to say: When I say intel-gathering, I mean we go into a place under the pretense of looking around, playing tourist… we ask some questions, try to sneak some information. Some of us pose as a distraction and the others look around inside." Amaris looked ready to interrupt her again and Gina raised a hand for him to stop. "The ones who are looking around inside scope out the location, and then we come back later on with new people and copy down whatever information we need during another distraction." She eyed him suspiciously, then said, "you can talk now."

Orion whispered to Jason, "they always like this?"

"From what I've seen, which has been sorta limited… this is actually pretty mild. Man," he said, turning away from Gina and Amaris, who were arguing again about something he had just said. "I can't wait to see Mom. She's gonna flip when she sees you."

Orion's stomach was the thing that flipped. "Do you think it'll be weird?" he asked, trying not to fidget.

"What? Weird? No way! Stop worrying," Jason said, pushing his arm. "It'll be great. I'm actually gonna start packing now," he said, jumping up and starting down the hall. He doubled back after patting down his pants and realizing his Dex was sitting on the sofa next to Orion. Orion chuckled and held it out to him as Jason jogged back, then jogged away again.

Amaris' voice filtered back into Orion's awareness as his brother disappeared down the hall. "You realize if you were ever caught lifting confidential information from these organizations you would be tried as an adult. No one will care that you're not sixteen yet. And didn't the angry red-shirt girl say that some of your number are older than that already?"

"Kaylee," Gina said, sounding worn out from this talk. "Her name is Kaylee. And of course we know it's risky, but this is useful information. We're careful. If you don't want to come you don't have to. But if you stay behind, please, _please_ don't be mean to Edith."

"Who the hell is Edith?"

Gina made a sound of pure frustration and Orion got up and snuck out of the room in case it turned into a drag-out, smack-down fist fight or a Pokémon battle in the middle of the living room.

* * *

The process of getting ready to go was sort of arduous and miserable. Kaylee, Gina and Jason were all thirteen now, which was one year past the first "hurdle to adulthood" so to speak. Once a person turned twelve, a world of possibilities became legally open to them: they could go on their trainer journeys, were allowed to travel unaccompanied, could access the internet even if they weren't allowed to post content up themselves, and could sign for themselves on health forms, official contracts, and the like. Sixteen was the drinking, driving, smoking and legal age for marriage, but for the most part it was widely accepted that a twelve-year-old, fresh from school and with a wealth of possibilities before them, was a "mini-adult" and therefore forced to mature quickly. That, however, did not change the fact that Kaylee, Gina, and Jason were, indeed, thirteen. They were disorganized, scatter-brained, easily distracted, and not always sure what they were doing from moment to moment. Orion, Victoria and Zahlia usually took to hounding them about items they were probably leaving behind, or reminding them that they could not find something because they had packed it away too early. Blake, who was only barely eleven years old, seemed like more of an adult than those three did at times.

Orion himself had to take multiple breaks when it came to his own packing. He found himself feeling wobbly on his feet and easily fatigued some days, and it just so happened he entered a bad spell during the week of frantic packing and travel plans. He went through Edith's herbal mix like crazy and often was brewing tea for himself while Victoria and Gav were hunched over maps, tracing out routes at the kitchen table.

The night before they were supposed to leave Orion was on feeding duty with Edith. It was a sane day for the Pokémon out in the fenced-in areas, for which Orion was extremely grateful. He wasn't fond of bleeding, or running for his life from a deeply distressed Nidorina. Edith leaned down and scratched a Spearow behind its head, and after it nipped at her a little testily it calmed down and made a little bird-equivalent of a purr.

"How do you not freak out when they look like they're going to hurt you?" Orion asked her, scattering some bird feed for a few Pidgey.

"It's scary, but I've known this bunch for a long time. The new ones that come in get treated with more restraint, believe me," Edith said, smiling up at Orion. "Get some over in that corner, too, will you? One of the birds seems to have bonded with that post over there and she rarely ever leaves that spot."

Orion obediently scattered some food over by a Spearow who was rubbing her head against one of the wooden posts with aggressive affection. She didn't even stop to eat, and he frowned at her, concerned.

"She will," Edith assured him from her side of the enclosure.

Orion kneeled down to swap bags of feed, picking up one for the mammals next. While he was doing this, Edith dropped a bomb on him.

"So, um, Jason. He's… very nice," she said, the last two words sounding like they were censoring what she really wanted to say. "I'm getting the impression… but I'm not sure. Maybe you know?" Orion was looking at her now, some feed cupped in his hand and a Rattata doing its best to climb up the posts to get at it. Orion noticed the little rat's frustration and lowered his hand to put the feed into the long plastic dish. It glared at him for making it perform acrobatics before digging in. "I'm sorry," Edith continued, shaking her head. "I didn't even finish my sentence. I feel like maybe he… likes me more than he's said."

_Oh boy,_ Orion thought, frantically trying to figure out how to navigate these dangerous waters. Why would anyone assume he was the person to talk to about this? He had zero relationship experience. "Well…" he said carefully, "he _does_ treat you differently than his other female friends," he said, casting Edith a little sidelong glance. "If… uh, he did feel that way about you, would that be a bad thing?" Now he was turning to his intel-gathering training, most of the tips for which he had picked up from Gav and Victoria.

"No," Edith said. "But kind of. What I mean to say is… I'm probably not the easiest person to, uh, like. If that's what this is. He'd have an easier time dealing with someone else, I think." Edith seemed to be mildly horrified at what she was saying suddenly, like she hadn't meant to divulge so much. She went back to her prior task, which was rolling up the legs of her jeans. She had kicked off her shoes, climbed into the pen, and had grabbed a shovel for mucking out the back areas by the time she spoke again. "I just don't know if he's maybe got the wrong idea about me. I'm not good with… um, change. To put it very lightly."

Orion couldn't help but smile at that. He leaned on one of the posts and watched as she tromped around barefoot in the dirt and straw. He knew when she was done she would monopolize one of the bathrooms for about an hour cleaning her feet with ridiculous precision, but he had always found it intriguing that she could put up with mess and filth on behalf of the Pokémon she cared about.

Inspiration struck, and Orion almost couldn't believe that he'd had this moment of insight. He tried to word it very carefully. "Even if you're not good with change," he said haltingly, "you seem like the kind of person who can really make adjustments and adapt when something is important to you. I mean, look at you now. This isn't exactly the most clean and organized task in the world."

Edith peered at him over her shoulder and smiled. "I try not to think about what I'm stepping in, truth be told," she said with a small smile. "And the reason I go barefoot is that my skin is easier to clean than boots. I'd just spend all day working the mud out from between the tread if that were the case."

Orion chuckled. "Well, that's a little beside the point. Ultimately I think you're not giving yourself or Jason enough credit. You know… just see what happens. You might be surprised."

"Thank you," Edith said, not facing Orion anymore, but he could guess that she was still smiling. "I'm good here, you can go inside anytime."

"Alright," Orion said, feeling like a million bucks in spite of his weird, feverish cold sweats. He was sort of a grab-bag of odd, mismatched flu symptoms these days. He was just reconsidering his former title of Totally Hopeless Around Important Situations, and wondering what would occur, if anything, between Edith and Jason, when it happened.

A buzzing flared up in his ears and the world spun a little, and Orion grabbed hold of the wooden post to keep himself from tilting too far to one side. It happened sometimes, but usually not as bad as this. The hot/cold confusion at the back of his neck decided on hot, and that fire spread through his body in one big surge. He heard a little sound of distress from below and looked down just in time to see the Rattata roll over on its back, exposing its belly up to the sky and averting its eyes from Orion. It was the most bizarre thing he had ever seen a Pokémon do, and for a second he just stared down at it, his mouth slightly open. Then the Spearow by the post fluttered away from her station, towards Edith, and the Pidgeys too moved back. Orion soon had a little area of space all around him for no apparent reason. Only the Rattata remained, and it was laying very, very still, as if to not draw attention to itself. Orion could see its little heart hammering away under the white fur of its chest.

"What's wrong with all of you?" Edith asked, her brown eyes wide and confused. The Spearow kept moving so it was behind her leg, and as she approached the Rattata her eyes met Orion's. The two of them shared a silent, uncertain look, and without another word Orion headed unsteadily towards the house. He could hear the Rattata get up and scamper for cover behind him, and Edith's voice quietly talking to them, trying to calm the Pokémon down. Orion's own heart was thundering in his chest as he made his way through the doors and breezed straight past Jason and Gina, who tried to get his attention and failed. He closed the door to his room, sat on the edge of his bed, and let out a shaky breath. It was probably just a quirk the Rattata had, and his sudden movement when he almost fell over had startled it. The birds probably thought something was wrong and scattered because of that.

That was what he told himself, anyway, as the dark stretched on throughout the midnight hour and the indigo pre-dawn light stained the sky outside his window.


	5. Half Genuine State :Zahlia:

Chapter 5: Half Genuine State

(Zahlia Nakawa)

Zahlia rose with the sun the morning of their voyage to Saffron. Gav and Orion were already awake, keeping each other silent company over steaming mugs at the table. Gav looked up and smiled at her, but Orion seemed dazed. She went through the motions of preparing toast for herself and Blake, who she knew was either already up and roaming the woods, or would be soon. When the bread was sitting silently in the metal slots, she took a seat across from Orion. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

Orion's cloudy blue eyes focused on her face and he blinked once, slowly, before he seemed to understand. "Oh," he said, shaking out his head. "Uh. Not too much, no. Might need coffee for the road."

"Caffeine is not an adequate substitute for sleep," Gav said robotically from over his cup of coffee. He smiled. "Direct quote from Edith. Whom I of course never listen to."

Zahlia's toast popped quietly out of the toaster and she went to fetch it. As if summoned by the breakfast, Blake appeared like a silent, prepubescent specter in the doorway. He took Zahlia's recently vacated seat as she spread butter on the bread, and she turned back to the table just in time to see Blake tilt his head to the side and say, "You look like crap, Orion."

"Thanks," Orion said blandly, but there was tired laughter in his tone.

They were supposed to get an early start, which was a veritable nightmare when trying to wrangle sleepy teens. It took Orion's Meowth and Rattata scurrying through the various rooms, burrowing under blankets and tickling exposed feet. Choruses of yelps and protests carried through the house until, one by one, the bedraggled crew emerged.

Edith seemed nervous, which was her usual state of being whenever the group started to head off for a job. She had their shoes lined up by the door in alphabetical order and everything in the house was surgically clean. It seemed to be the way she dealt with stress.

"Be careful," she said, straightening out Kaylee's shoulder seams and tugging a loose thread from her back pack. Kaylee rolled her eyes, but smiled as Edith moved on to Gav. Imaginary lint was pulled from his mountaineering vest. Jason was next in line, and he straightened up a bit, his smile growing. "Do I pass inspection?" he asked, the corners of his eyes crinkling into a sly grin. Rather than answer, Edith just pulled him into a swift hug.

"Barely," she said fondly, pulling and releasing her favorite cowlick in his bangs. The look on Jason's face was downright sweet; even Zahlia had to admit that. Orion met her gaze from across the room and gave her a subtle thumbs-up. He'd confided in her about Jason's crush a few months ago, and had quite unnecessarily sworn her to secrecy. There were very few people in the house who hadn't figured it out instantly.

"Ready, troops?" Gav asked, one of the few who remained in the ranks of the totally ignorant. "Let's move out."

The Viridian forest ended many miles to the east, but in reality it was sort of difficult to tell where the boundary-line was from the edge of the "official" forest to the equally dense woods that continued on to Celadon. Only the obnoxious, screaming pink signs that read "CAUTION: you are now leaving the VIRIDIAN FOREST" were an indicator. Gav researched while they walked, at least until he lost the phone signal that he had turned into an internet connection.

"It looks like the DOT is planning on starting up a railroad through here," Gav said, his voice bordering on disapproving. "It will serve as a quicker route for trainers to cut straight through the Viridian forest into Celadon. Construction is set to start sometime next year."

"So, three years from now," Victoria said.

Zahlia hung back from the others, listening to their talk. Blake kept silent pace with her, his eyes to the ground so he could avoid stepping on roots and tripping. She tuned into a different conversation, one that the Fremont brothers were having closer to her.

"No way," Jason was saying, shaking his head. He hiked his bag higher up on his shoulders and grinned at Orion. "There is no way Dad would be anywhere near Saffron. I'm pretty sure Mom passed a law that forbids him from even entering the city limits," he joked.

Zahlia turned her head away. Blake, noticing this, lifted his eyes from the ground and stared hard at her profile, as if looking at her long enough would make her share what was on her mind. Fat chance of that.

Zeke hadn't been trying very hard to find her. If he had, she reasoned, she was sure she would have heard from him by now. The idea still twisted her insides at times, especially when she thought of Edith, whose home they were currently all endangering, and all the fragile Pokémon in her care. If Zeke were to find this place, that delicate balance and careful way of life would be shattered. Zahlia knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was the one who ran the highest risk of drawing unwanted attention to them. For now the Fremont brothers thought they were the ones with the greatest debt to this ragtag team. Zahlia could do nothing to change that opinion as of now.

It bothered her every day, nagged at the back of her mind, worried at the corners of her eyes like the spot from a camera flash, always just out of reach. She could solve one problem by simply going back to Zeke and her father, and explaining that she had a moment of weakness and wasn't going to be able to carry out this glaringly simple job anymore. She didn't care what her father thought of her, unlike Zeke. Her poor brother was wretched with his desire to please their old man, and Zahlia alternately felt disgusted by his mindless obedience and exceedingly sorry for him. It depended on the day, and on, oh, little things, like whether or not Zeke decided to break her leg during Pokémon battles.

Zahlia could wash her hands of this problem easily, and would never have to know what became of the Fremont brothers, or the unwittingly-involved other trainers. Someone else would be assigned this job, and someone else would report back to the Nakawas with whatever they found out. It was so tempting to bow out some nights that Zahlia found herself packing her bags in her mind.

Of course, the thought of Blake stopped her dead in her tracks before she had so much as unzipped a zipper. She had to be around him. She was sure of that, even if she wasn't sure of anything else in her life. If she went back to her father and older brother, she would have to leave Blake behind, and he would wander back to his tech-geek father in Fuchsia, both of them glaringly unprotected and vulnerable. That was unacceptable.

For now, then, she was trapped. The longer she stayed with Orion, Jason, Gina and the others, the harder it became for her to imagine leaving them. There was a kind of safety in their numbers, but it was more than that.

Up ahead, Orion summoned up enough energy to grab Jason by the back of his tank top and ruffle his hair. Jason protested, but his laughter brought an involuntary smile to Zahlia's face. Like clockwork, Orion turned back to smile at her, the way he always did, as if anything that brought him happiness was to be shared with her unquestioningly. She smiled back, hiding a laugh behind her bangs, wanting to give him this shared companionship for as long as possible. They were lonely, awkward baby-adults, both she and Orion, part responsible and part emotionally stunted. She wondered sometimes if he had sensed that about her, and if that was what had made him click with her so quickly. Whatever kind of friendship they had, in its sad, half-genuine state, would have to do until she was able to think of some way to solve this.

* * *

Even given their large group, Zahlia and the others made good time. The Harrison siblings were experts at setting up and breaking down a campsite by now, and their efficiency when it came to these things cut considerable time from their journey. They'd run into trouble by way of wild Pokémon, and she wasn't the only one who noticed the strange ferocity in the way they attacked. It was discussed over camp-fire dinners and during crawls through thick brambles. The Pokémon all seemed much more anxious and aggressive than normal, not abiding to their typical "I'll-only-attack-you-if-you-step-on-me" attitude. Zahlia found this distinctly troubling, but couldn't think of any reason behind it.

They only encountered two other humans out in this dense underbrush, and cited a post-graduation camping trip as their excuse for being so far away from any sort of path. The couple, two women in their thirties who looked like they had more than a few maternal tendencies between them, had offered them some rooms at their summer cabin a few miles north, concerned lines at their foreheads. Gav had smiled and rejected them nicely, assuring them that everything would be fine. Zahlia saw him key in rough coordinates for the womens' home on his PDA after they hiked away, though, and knew he was doing it so they could avoid those people on future trips. It was a shame, really. They were probably just two perfectly sweet people, and yet no stranger could be trusted in the paranoia game they were all playing.

They reached Celadon City after just under a week of travel. They weren't staying long, though. The 9:45 Celadon-Saffron express would be arriving soon, and since it was Indigo Day the trains were on a reduced holiday schedule. Gav cursed under his breath as they dashed for the station, not even having time to heal their teams at a Center. It would have to wait until they got to Saffron.

Orion kept the name Daniel on his fake ID, though his last name had changed to Anderson. Jason's fake name was Sam, though, and everyone was having a horrendously hard time remembering it. Jason had wanted to be called Sergio, for some bizarre reason, but everyone agreed he would do better to have something very short and unmemorable. There was a collective holding of the breath as Jason, Orion, Zahlia and Blake showed their IDs to the man at the ticket booth, but he seemed to be in a rush to get them on board before it was set to take off. It went off without a hitch, and the gang bustled onto the underground bullet train with five minutes to spare.

"Sorry," Gav was saying, looking quite winded. "Sorry, guys. I did not time this journey well... at all."

"S'okay," Gina said from her seat beside Amaris, who was red in the face under his freckles. He looked ready to revolt. "'Least we're here."

Zahlia nodded off at some point and woke up with a backpack under her head and Blake's jacket over her. It disturbed her to think of her kid brother taking care of her, and she felt oddly embarrassed for the rest of the ride. Blake was teaching Jason and Gina how to play a card game, apparently solely so he could whoop them at it. Gina just seemed baffled, but Jason was soon determined to beat Blake at any cost. Orion laughed at the display, but it was only halfway to Saffron that someone noticed and commented about him.

"Orion, you look way better!" Kaylee said, beaming at him and leaning forward a little to peer into his face. "You actually don't look like you've got one foot in the grave for once."

"Oh wow," Orion said, but Kaylee was right. He looked great, compared to the last few months. "That really doesn't comfort me, you know."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, with a smile and a glance to the a floor. "Guess Edith's tea isn't as effective as bullet trains."

"Bullet trains cure all," Gina said, still immensely distracted by studying her hand of cards and struggling to figure out where she had gone wrong for a fifth game in a row.

Not many of them got sleep on the train, and those who did not were barely functional when it pulled into the western station at Saffron City. Victoria lead the way, dragging her feet, and the others followed suit in a tousled convoy of misery. It was a unanimous vote that pitching in money for a cab was the lesser of evils, and they coughed up 22 marks for the fare to the closest possible Pokémon Center. The fake IDs were put to the test again, and the little pause the man at the counter took over Orion's was not lost on the group. He didn't call them on anything, though, and the gang shuffled off down the hall.

"My room, tomorrow... let's make it noon," Gav said in an exhausted, deadpan voice. "Night."

Few people managed to actually respond before vanishing into their rooms. There were enough for them all, probably since it was nearly August and not a peak tourism time for the less popular, Western side of the city. Zahlia was happy for the alone time, as she was wired and did not see sleep in her future. Though she knew it was not the most productive use of her time, she gave up on trying to force sleep and wound up slipping out of the Center to roam the city. The receptionist was nodding off at his desk and didn't see her pass by. Most of the time Zahlia found herself subconsciously trying to sneak past people, even when she had no reason to. It was really a force of habit by now.

The moon was gibbous, waxing and yellow. It was humid out, and the air seemed to be sticking to her skin like spiderwebs as she walked. She kept feeling her elbows and forearms, as if she could slip out of the atmosphere like an old cocoon.

It was nice out, walking in a part of the city that apparently _did_ sleep during three a.m. The heart of Saffron, where they would be moving tomorrow, was pretty much traffic and noise 24/7, and Zahlia tried to enjoy as much of the quiet and dark as she could. She felt anonymous here, almost safe. Under a streetlamp that was flickering bravely, it felt nearly possible to just forget all the rest and be a person in the moment, with no obligations and no uncertain future.

The timing could not have been more ironic. She didn't notice the posters at first, because there were so many leaflets stapled crookedly to telephone poles and taped to mailboxes. The Soul Badge was what caught her eye finally, a large pink image of a heart with a line cutting it right in half. The heart was skewered on the dark silhouette of a tower, crudely drawn but unmistakable. Words in messy black ink read, _"Where are you? Ascend."_

Zahlia stopped walking and stared at the poster. Without thinking, she reached out and tore it off, then walked with it to a metal trashcan that was tied to a tree. She crumpled the paper up and threw it into the waste bin, painfully aware that it was only one poster and there were dozens down this street alone. She could see them now, haphazardly slapped down, some of them almost horizontal. Under the moon in the middle of the night, Zahlia stared at the twelve hearts stabbed through with the twelve towers, and just concentrated on breathing. She forced herself to walk, not run, back to the Center.

* * *

The group really did not mess around. The following morning they were, true to form, crammed into Gav's room with a fold-out tourist map of the heart of Saffron and a brochure with a small floor guide of Silph Co. Most of their number looked alert enough, but there was a fair number of mid-day yawns.

"From what I'm seeing here, Silph is pretty strict about what they show to the public on their tours. It says here they only open up the first ten floors for guided tours. They even have a separate tourist elevator." Gav raised his eyebrows at the brochure. "Odd."

"What a fantastic waste of electricity," Kaylee said with a grin. She hopped up onto the bed and peered over Gav's shoulder. She seemed like a ball of reckless energy, just waiting for the chance to get into the thick of the action. "When are we going for the tour?"

Gina, who was next to Zahlia, leaned over to Amaris and said, "This is how we're going to figure out the best routes through the building, and places to enter and leave unseen."

"I had gathered," he said dryly, and she pushed him with her elbow.

"We probably shouldn't go all in one group," Gav said. "That will be too memorable. Let's split up into at least three smaller ones. Kay, you should probably not be on my team. We look too much alike and people might put the pieces together."

Victoria sighed and looked around. "Blake, I'll go with you, and... with Jason."

"Good job," Orion said with a smile. "That has got to be the most random assortment of people ever."

"I'm going with her," Amaris said, pointing to Gina with the same blunt hastiness of someone not wanting to be picked for a bad team at a school sport.

The others broke themselves haltingly up into the groups, and in the end Zahlia and Gav were the odd ones out.

"Alright, Zahlia, it's me and you then. You ready to go to the two p.m. tour?" He checked the time on his phone.

"Sure," Zahlia said, standing up from the edge of the bed. "I'll go get ready."

* * *

Gav's information about the unyielding tourism policy at Silph was only the tip of the iceberg. The lobby was deceivingly welcoming, and Zahlia found her eyes immediately drawn to the enormous fountain that took up a large section of the floor. It had been bisected at some point so there was a large moving walkway between the two sides of it, and since the whole fountain was made of smooth glass, people on the walkway could look at the Goldeen and Horsea swimming around within.

Their tour guide was a pretty redhead with a short bob and a tight gray business suit. The sound of her heels on the marble floors was kind of deafening, and her thousand-watt smile was almost blinding. "Hey folks! Glad you could make it to our Silph tours! Nothing personal, folks, but we do have to run y'all through metal detectors. I hope you understand." There were a few uncertain glances around as two security guards approached with metal wands to wave over their bodies. Gav gave Zahlia a raised eyebrow and she shrugged as she spread her arms and glanced around at the no doubt thousand-dollar paintings all along the walls of the lobby.

"Now, come right this way to our reception area, and we'll take care of the last thing before we can get a move on. It's policy to check your Pokémon at the door, and you'll be able to claim them as soon as it's done."

"Wait, what?" one woman asked, her eyes going wide. "No, I'm not comfortable with that."

"We-e-ell…" the tour guide said, her tone suggesting regret but her face still wearing that merciless smile. "We're really very sorry, but that's a non-negotiable policy."

"Hmm. Well, alright then." The woman and a few others left, and Zahlia saw one go over to the receptionist and point to their group, leaning over the desk. The receptionist shook his head and put his hands up in a "what can I do?" gesture, and the disgruntled would-be tourists took their leave.

The tourist elevator was sort of the equivalent of Silph propaganda-vomit. The walls were painted in a Silph motif with glossy photos of happy workers and scientists talking to one another over glass flasks and tables full of sparking technology. On the ride up a few people took the opportunity to get their questions answered. "Is Silph really the only company that makes Pokéballs?"

"Yes! We're proud to be the only ones who have the technology as of now. And," she winked, "we have no plans to share it any time soon!" There were some scattered, slightly uncomfortable laughs as the elevator opened to the second floor.

"Is there a tourist stairwell too?" Someone else asked. "In case of a fire or if this elevator breaks down?"

"Sure is! The tourist stairwell is right down that way," she said, leading them out onto the second floor and pointing with both hands at a clearly marked doorway. The door was mostly glass and Zahlia could see that the stairwell was done up with more Silph glamour photos and some kind of company history timeline, evidently. She exchanged a look with Gav and they both raised their eyebrows.

The tour was, for the most part, abjectly boring. Zahlia had no interest in Silph Co., and even Gav, who would have the most to gain from this by far, seemed a little agitated. They were being fed pre-canned stories about the first Pokéball ever made, the innovations Silph had made to Potions, essentially inventing the Super Potion and opening the doorway for other, higher-level healing items. It was a lot of blah-blah-blah, set to make the company look good, and Gav and she spent their time taking silent mental notes of their surroundings. There were a few promising looking corridors, a file cabinet where a worker got out a ring of flash drives, and they were able to witness someone having card key difficulty with the non-tourist elevator.

The tour took them up more unremarkable floors, though Zahlia had to admit, she admired the workers for ignoring them so blatantly. Perhaps the tourist floors were where Silph employees were sent when they were misbehaving. Being gawked at by tourists all day while struggling with a copy machine didn't seem exactly glamorous. The elevator doors opened on the eleventh floor, and the tour guide lead them out. "This is the 11th floor, and the former location of the President's office. Let's take a look inside, shall we?"

Zahlia had to admit, it was pretty modest as far as president's offices went. Not that she'd seen any others in her life, but it was tiny comparatively. There were a few awards and placards on the walls, and a few portraits of former presidents.

"So, why aren't we allowed onto the other floors?" Gav and Zahlia both didn't show too much outward interest, but Zahlia knew he was listening to this answer as much as she was.

"The rest of our floors are pretty much a flurry of activity 24/7. As much as I'd like to show you around up there, we'd be a huge distraction for all of our hard workers. Now, anyone want a picture sitting at the president's desk? Come on! Only ten marks for an 8x10 glossy!"

The rest of the tour was pretty much a bust. Zahila didn't have to try hard to look bored and unimpressed. She and Gav stuck to their policy of not asking any questions so as to draw zero attention to themselves, but something happened towards the end of the half-hour jaunt around the Silph building.

Zahlia saw him before he saw her, and managed to turn away just as he was turning towards her. She couldn't be completely sure if Dr. Azakawa had recognized her, and heat rose to her face against her will. What the hell was one of her father's associates doing here? Zahlia pretended to be fascinated by the Employee of the Month pictures down the corridor, which was an objectively boring section of the building. Her heart was drumming against her ribs the entire time they stayed there, and she found herself mentally damning the curious person who was asking about the caption below one of the photos. Who cared? She could barely resist heading straight to the tourist elevator by herself and jamming the down button furiously.

Gav didn't notice her distress, probably because she was very used to hiding it. When they finally filed into the elevator to head back down to the bottom floor, Zahlia chanced a glance out to the rest of the floor. Dr. Azakawa was staring straight at her, blatantly ignoring the aide who was trying to get him to look at something on a clipboard. Zahlia met his eyes for one, faltering second, and she struggled to look blank-faced and only slightly curious, the way any normal person would look while being stared at by a total stranger. She could tell at once that it had not worked.

* * *

The group walked around town in disguise later on that night, blending in with the other big mobs pushing their ways through the heart of the city. Victoria had expressed concern about the fact that they did have ten in their group, but virtually the second they stepped out into the streets they spotted a mob of no fewer than twenty people careening through the streets, yelling and pointing at random things and bursting into raucous laughter. Victoria actually admitted, while trying to hide her amusement, that she stood corrected. Kaylee and Beth immediately pretended to fall into a faint at the shock that, for once, Victoria had admitted a mistake. This resulted in Victoria prodding the girls in the sides and soon their group was engaged in some short-lived raucous laughter of their own.

They sobered quickly as they walked, though. Gav was talking in code to them, a green hoodie pulled up over his hair and a pair of sunglasses obstructing his eyes.

"S sort of has a history of shady activity," he said as he dodged to the left to avoid a girl running in heels. It was a little hard to hear him, but this was actually working to their benefit, since they figured no one else out here would have a chance to overhear either.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Amaris asked. They had managed to convince him to don a black fedora over his very noticeable copper hair, just in case, but that was about all the disguise he could stand.

Gina answered the question. "You heard about the scandal involving the President of the corporation and Red, I take it?"

"You mean the _legend_?" Amaris shot back, and the two of them glared at one another. "Am I supposed to believe that was actually true?"

"Saffron's people were being held captive in their own city!" Kaylee snapped, turning around and glaring at Amaris. "You mean to tell me you don't believe that happened either?"

"Alright, alright, calm down," Gav said, raising his hands and bringing the adamant discussions to a halt. "Let's get the facts straight, here. It's true that Saffron's people had a huge TR problem earlier in the century—so bad, in fact, that hardly anyone left the city for fear of ambush. They weren't necessarily held _captive_," he said, giving his sister a calm look. "But they may as well have been." This time the look was directed at Amaris, who regarded the sidewalk with a scowl. "It's _also_ true that there were rumors of the President of the company being held legitimately hostage in his own building, and Red helped him and earned a Masterball in the process." Gav sounded like a school teacher, reciting a historical event to a class full of uninterested primaries. "Red and Blue did exist, I'm sure, but how much is fact and how much is embellishment remains to be discovered. I'm willing to bet some stories are true."

"Same here," Kaylee muttered, and Gina nodded as well.

"However, that has little to do with our situation at hand. We know that TR's had a history with bothering the S workers, and it's been proven that a few of their employees have actually been working with them undercover." Kaylee huffed at that. "Point is, ultimately, we have to figure out how to get in there."

"There was a place we could stake out, in the alley across the way and a little to the East," Beth pointed out. "About how to get in, though… I have no idea."

"Yeah," Kaylee added. "They use those cards for pretty much every single door from what I could see."

"It is a problem," Gav said with a sigh. Zahlia felt an uncomfortable lurch in her stomach as the group continued talking in code and she felt her mind disengage. When she came back to reality, Gav was shaking his head. "Okay, so how about we get some much-needed shuteye and continue brainstorming tomorrow? We're not getting anywhere right now."

There was general consensus as they turned a corner that would lead them back to the Center. Zahlia's eyes flew immediately to a telephone pole peppered in paper. There was an ad for guitar lessons, a flier for a rave in the Neon block, and a dark silhouette of a tower and a Soul Badge. Zahila turned her head away from it quickly, but it seemed her timing was just off that day. Her grimace, brief though it was, was caught by Orion. A frown of concern came to his face and Zahlia worked her expression into something curious and lighthearted, hoping to throw him off the scent. It didn't completely work, but Orion did return the smile, and only cast her a concerned look once or twice on the return journey.

She made up her mind before they had made it back to the Center.

* * *

It took her an entire day to drum up the courage, however. During that span of 24 hours, she was witness to the sheer frustration her friends were going through. Gav ran and re-ran scenarios with Victoria, both of them struggling to figure out what the heck they could do about the card-key locked elevator, the card-key locked stairwells, and the card-key locked offices.

"I guess we should just be grateful they don't have something like… like, I don't know, fingerprint scan-recognition on their doors."

"They already have that technology on Pokédexes," Gina said with a glum tone of defeat in her voice. Exhaustion was showing on everyone's face. "Just wait a few months, they'll get the idea."

Zahlia cited Center-fever for her need to get out of the place the next day, and took some twisting backroads to the Silph building. She didn't know why, but she was very worried that one of the others, perhaps Orion, or perhaps Blake, would try to follow her. No one did, though, and she made it to the ornate lobby quickly. The sound of the fountain was particularly deafening today, and the red-headed tour guide was just leading another set of people to the gaudy elevator.

Zahlia walked up to the front desk and smiled at the receptionist. It was the same one from their tour a few days ago, which was unfortunate. She didn't want to run the risk of him placing her face, but she needn't have worried. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, like he was running through robotic motions. He probably hated his job and was fantasizing about taking a big sledgehammer to the glass fountain even as he asked her, "Hi, what can I do for you?"

"I'm the daughter of an associate of Dr. Azakawa's, I think he works on the eleventh floor?" she said, twisting some hair around her finger in a vain attempt to look like a hapless girl. "I was wondering if you could ring him up, tell him that…" she paused for just a second, direly reluctant to leave her name here. It felt suicidal, but there was no other way to prove who she was. "Zahlia Nakawa is here?"

The man looked skeptical, but shrugged. "Alright, but he's very busy. I'll call up his receptionist, but she'll probably ask that you make an appointment and come back later."

"If so, that's fine," Zahlia said, wanting to score points with the receptionist for being agreeable. She walked a few feet away and watched two Goldeen circling each other aggressively while the man muttered into a black phone. The fish began to fight, splashing in the water, but their struggle could barely be heard over the mechanism of the fountain itself, and none of the few people in the lobby passing by even gave it a second glance. Zahlia heard her name spoken, then heard the man get cut off mid-sentence. "Huh," he said. Then, "okay, right away." The phone clicked down in the cradle, but Zahlia waited until he cleared his throat before she turned around, an attentive smile on her face.

"Well, he says he'd be delighted to see you, and you can head right up to the eleventh floor. You know how to work the tourist elevator?"

"Just press the button and go, right?" Zahlia guessed, smiling. "Thank you, sir."

She rode up silently, feeling her anxiety level rise as the rest of her did, sailing smoothly up to the top of the elevator's limit. She took a deep breath before letting herself out and at once was face-to-face with Dr. Azakawa.

"Zahlia," he said, a smile on his face. "I thought that was you, the other day."

"I couldn't place you until this morning," she said, grinning back. It was mechanical and 100% fake on both of their sides, but they had to put on a good show while they walked over to his office. "Sorry I didn't put two and two together until now."

"Oh, not a problem at all. Who was the young man you were with?"

"Young man?" Zahlia asked, frowning. "I was by myself… was someone trying to flirt with me and I didn't notice?" she asked, laughing. The sound of it startled her, as she was not used to making so much noise. Thank god though, they were at his office now, and he slid his card key into the door and put it into the pocket of his blazer as he let them in. Zahlia devised her plan quickly.

"Have a seat," he said, glancing out the big glass window of his office. In that moment when his back was turned, Zahlia turned around and located the thermostat knob to his office. She dialed it a few notches, just enough to start to heat the place up, but not enough to be instantly noticeable. She turned back to him just as he was turning back to her. "So… how have you been?" he asked, a little awkwardly.

"Well, father and Zeke are the same as always," she ventured, taking a huge gamble. "Though I don't hear much about their… work, these days. I'm pretty deep into my own job."

It was code-talk for her spy mission on the Fremont brothers, and Azakawa knew it. His face didn't let on anything, which was a Nakawa trademark. All of their high-ranking associates were exactly the same. It was virtually impossible to tell when they were lying, and now Zahlia had no clue if she'd been caught in her own tall tale or not. "From what I hear!" he said, in the same tone as someone congratulating her on grad school. "You're not here on your father's business, are you? I was in touch with him just yesterday, so I'd hope he'd have told me anything new then."

Jackpot. Zahlia felt relief course through her. If her father had spoken to Azakawa just the other day, and had not mentioned that he could not get a hold of his daughter, that meant that Zeke and he were planning on handling her absence in-family, and not getting anyone else involved. She had assumed as much, but there was always that possibility that she was wrong. Her father and Zeke were proud, though, and that was their downfall. They didn't want to admit weakness to their subordinates, and were going to deal with Zahlia on their own.

"No, nothing business-related. Though, I was surprised to see you here. Father doesn't tell me much by way of his master plans. Are there other people we know working here now?"_ Damn,_ she thought. _Why isn't he hot yet?_ Zahlia was starting to feel the prickles of heat at the back of her neck, though that could have been nerves.

"Oh, here and there," he said, keeping it vague. So, he wasn't at liberty to talk to anyone about what he was doing beyond the vaguest of facts. That was good to know, but it also did not bode well at all. Finally Azakawa was fidgeting. Perhaps Zahlia's recent line of questioning was making him uncomfortable. "Warm in here," he said, finally, and shrugged out of his blazer, putting it over the back of his chair. "Is there anything in particular you wanted, Zahlia?" he asked, now eager to get her out of here.

"Just wanted to come and see if you were available to say hello," she said with a diplomatic smile. "Didn't want you to think I was being rude the other day. I understand you're very busy though, I'll be on my way."

"Oh, no rush, none at all," Azakawa said, standing up at once as Zahlia did, not wanting to offend Vaughn Nakawa's daughter. He looked distinctly uncomfortable now, and Zahlia knew the chips were in her hands. She peered out his large window and smiled at the construction going on a few blocks away. "Wow," she said, moving a little closer to the window. "They're really putting that up quickly."

"Yes, they are. We hope the power plant will be done by mid-March of next year. He turned to face the window with her, and as they stood side-by-side, Zahlia carefully slipped her hand into the pocket of his blazer and removed the card. She hoped direly that he had a spare, and that what she said next would rattle him enough that he would assume he put this card somewhere stupid in a moment of absent-mindedness.

"Father really puts a lot of stock in you," she said casually, her eyes still trained unblinkingly on the little orange cranes that were moving miniature metal beams across town. "He talks about you frequently. I'd say he's probably watching you the most out of everyone, and has big plans for you." She met his gaze and smiled, the expression not reaching her eyes. She could feel the chill in her face affecting Azakawa, and he flushed slightly darker. "I'm not saying he'd do something like send people to check in on you, or anything. But just be happy to know that your work has been very impressive to him thus far." She shrugged and went back to the diplomatic, friendly mode she had been in before. "I really should be going. Thanks so much for seeing me."

"Any time, Zahlia," Azakawa said, looking distinctly ruffled. "Stop by any time."

The card key burned in her pocket on her ride down the tourist elevator, and she waved to the receptionist as she walked out into the mid-day sun. Her heart was still beating faster than normal when she made her way into the Center and pulled Gav aside.

"I went back to Silph," she whispered at once, working with her remaining nervousness to sell this story. It needed to seem like she was agitated because of the risk of being caught, which was exactly right. He just couldn't know the rest of it. "Just to see if I could get anything new for a stake-out." She pressed the card into his hand and let out a shaky sigh. "Someone dropped this behind the fountain, and I was able to pick it up. I did it subtly, so if there are cameras, they shouldn't be able to immediately know what I did. But we should probably move fast."

Gav looked utterly stunned. His expression went from shocked to slightly disapproving, then to disbelieving and finally to tentative excitement. "Normally I'd say this is too risky, but there is literally no other way into that place. Zahlia, thank you for being in the right place at the right time." They kept their voices low, and moved off down the hall. "I'll call a meeting tonight, and we'll infiltrate before the week is out. This is so great, thank you."

Zahlia decided that nothing was more disorienting in the world than feeling both proud and ashamed in such strong measure at the same time.


	6. Something To Hide :Kaylee:

Chapter 6: Something to Hide

Kaylee Harrison

Kaylee was a bit late getting out to the others the next morning, arriving at perhaps eight forty-five or fifty, stumbling as she tried to lace up her black sneakers. Orion, Zahlia, Amaris and Beth were already there—no surprise—Blake had managed to make it down although he looked like the living dead, and her brother was ordering them drinks from the restaurant. He looked tired and ruffled in a ratty old plaid shirt, and she envied how Gav could show up to breakfast in his jammies and manage to look okay.

It turned out that Gina and Victoria were there, too; she'd just not been able to see them from her angle. Victoria was at the window, glaring at the morning light with a look of disapproval, and Gina was lying down on a large booth seat between Amaris and Orion, napping. Kaylee supposed that explained the awkward gap between the two boys.

Gav returned with the mugs the same instant a bedraggled Jason burst out of the hallway, pulling his boots on much in the manner Kaylee had. He almost bowled right into Gav, who lifted the tray overhead to save the beverages as Jason almost ate it on the linoleum. Orion got up from the table to try to assist Jason with the treacherous task known as walking, as Kaylee took four of Gav's ten mugs off the tray.

"We're going to S later on this evening, after most of the traffic's gone down in the city," Gav said. There was utterly no preamble, though he did keep his voice to a quiet murmur.

Jason and Gina exchanged a look, and Jason asked, "so what are we doing up so early?"

Victoria lifted one red eyebrow and swirled her tea around, regarding the two thirteen-year-olds. "He said we would go in this evening—we're going to be planning how exactly to _do_ that today."

Amaris raised his hand, Primary School style. "What exactly are we looking for in there?"

Gav smiled. "Good question. Myself, Victoria, Beth and Kaylee will be sifting through files—I suggest the rest of you scout for anything that seems off. An example will be, say, a very well-guarded office or any kind of secret storage. If it seems like it's too complicated to open with the card key, though, we'll have to skip it. We don't want to set off any alarms."

"Regarding video cameras," Victoria said, glancing over to the receptionist, who had small earbud headphones in and was working on some paperwork while bobbing to the music, "Gav has a way to mess with the electrical signals with his PDA. It's not fool-proof, but it's the best we've got." She cast Gav a slightly apologetic look, but he shrugged.

"No, that's exactly it. I'm going to cut power to the cameras in the areas we're in. We'll probably get picked up on some of them, but since we'll be covered up head to toe, we won't be ID'd easily at all. Ultimately we're sort of banking on the fact that, since no alarms will go off, they won't bother checking the tapes. There's a ton of footage and to watch all of it each day is impractical. Most companies even a fifth the size of Silph don't review their security tapes unless they have reason to."

"Sounds like you know this from experience," Jason said with a grin.

"Oh, we do," Kaylee responded, flashing her teeth. "This is the trickiest of the camera jobs, but we've got a fair amount of…" she trailed off as she noticed Amaris had his hand up again. Gav frowned, but nodded to him to give him the floor.

"I could have it so that we don't need to even knock the cameras offline… if you'll let me handle the security measures, that is."

Amaris was barely looking up from his coffee. Gina, surprised, regarded him out of the corner of her eye, her identical cup halfway up to her mouth. She put it back down and looked at Gav instead, who seemed interested, if a bit wary.

"How would you go about doing that?"

"I'd use Kadabra to project an image of empty rooms to the cameras, keeping them online. That way the personnel won't, on an off-chance, come back tomorrow morning to check to footage and find a few hours missing and alert the police. My way, no one would ever have to know that we were there."

Kaylee's mouth was hanging open, and she wasn't the only one. Gina looked like she couldn't quite decide if she should grin or just continue to look surprised, and Gav and Victoria were regarding Amaris with a new respect. Finally Victoria cleared her throat and said, "Well. That certainly sounds like a good idea. What do you guys think?"

"I agree," said Gav. "Thank you for the suggestion, Amaris—this saves us a lot of trouble."

"Damn, that's awesome," Jason was saying, scratching at the back of his ear with one hand. "You break into things often?"

Amaris gave him a withering look. "Not usually, no. But I watch a lot of bad detective movies."

Kaylee was confused for a moment until she realized that he'd actually tried to make a joke. Maybe he wasn't such a hopeless case, after all. She still didn't like the guy, but if he proved to be this useful in the future she could learn to get over it. Maybe.

* * *

Their shoddy, half-baked disguises that were used when they were wandering around town, obviously, would not do it for the Silph infiltration. A hoodie pulled up over trademark hair, or sunglasses to obscure part of a face were just impractical. The group selected all the dark clothing they could, and Beth and Victoria spent most of the day crafting masks they could tie around their faces.

"This feels so, so much more illegal now," Kaylee said as she tried hers on in Victoria's room that evening. It fit fine, and when she wore it she sort of felt like a ninja. It covered all but her eyes, and tied like a bandana or kerchief at the back of her head.

"We have to make sure people with long hair keep it all tied up in a bun," Victoria said, all business. "I suggested to Gav that we not take the Fremonts or the Initiates, but he figures we need as many pairs of hands as possible. I'm just going to put Gina and Jason on photo-duty. I don't think they can screw that up too badly."

"Whoa, whoa, hey," Kaylee said, putting her hands up to Victoria. "I know you're going into job mode, but chill, okay? Gina and Jason are competent, we'll be okay, and jeez, breathe, woman." Victoria raised an eyebrow at Kaylee but sighed and shook her head.

"I'll try. This is the biggest job we've ever had. Just don't want anything to go wrong."

Kaylee wanted to assure her that nothing would, but that just seemed like it would be unnecessarily jinxing it, so she bit down on her comment.

The group carried their break-in clothes in backpacks and side-bags as they left the Center in small groups so as not to draw unnecessary attention. They arrived at their changing place, a dank little alley with a nook that was, amazingly, not inhabited by a homeless person. They changed quickly and saved their masks for last, walking the one block to the Silph building and only encountering one drunk on the back roads they had mapped out.

Their one stroke of luck was Silph's evident confidence in their card-key system. They had fired a great deal of their night security in the big layoffs from a few months ago, and this was obvious particularly now. There was no one at the back entrance of the building, and as they stared at the doorway, they spotted the camera facing them at once.

"Okay, Amaris," Gav muttered as he tied on his mask. "You and Kadabra do your thing."

Amaris let out his Pokémon and kneeled down to mutter directions to it. Kaylee caught how Gina kept casting glances to him, as if constantly checking in to make sure he wasn't getting uncertain or thinking of backing out. Kaylee couldn't blame her. A new addition to their group, and in a job this big, was definitely weighing heavily on her mind. Kadabra closed its eyes, though, and waved one gold hand across the area. A moment later Kaylee swore quietly under her breath; the air around her was rippling, ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable, but when she turned her head a sea of disorientation washed over her.

"Wow," she whispered. "Wicked."

"Okay, let's move," Gav hissed under his breath, and they headed off in a pack to the door. Gav slid the card key into the metal slot, and they held their collective breaths while they waited. Two seconds later they were given the little green light, and they pushed their way in. When the door clicked quietly shut behind them, Kaylee snapped at once into infiltration mode, her mind sharpening and focusing.

"First eleven floors are useless," Gav whispered, his eyes trained on Amaris' Kadabra, who was deep in concentration. "Stairs up to twelve."

They knew they could not do every single floor, but they had to at least stop on all of them and gauge the likelihood of something important being there. Floors twelve through eighteen were filled with little cubicles, messy desks and copy machines. There were break rooms and mail rooms and conference rooms. Nothing looked interesting or even remotely promising, and when Gav tried to boot up a computer it was not even password protected.

"Wow," he said, as he navigated smoothly through boring files. The person apparently liked to play Su Doku while on company time, but Gav's search for hidden files came up utterly blank. "Nothing, move on."

Floors nineteen through thirty-two had some labs, and they lingered over a few floors a little longer than others. By now forty-five minutes had elapsed, and they had told themselves they would not stay much longer than three hours. Kaylee slipped her gloved hands over accordion files full of paper, but from what she could understand most of the science jargon just had to do with Pokémon supplements and plans for a smaller, more compact version of the Pokéball. It was utterly boring, regular Silph Co. product innovation. She was not the only one sighing.

Amaris for the most part stayed near Kadabra, making sure his Pokémon was not tiring out. Gina took low-flash photos on her Dex, as did Jason. Both of them hung nearby Amaris, though, not touching anything very much. Orion, Zahlia and Blake were trying doors with the card key, peering inside, and deeming them pointless.

"This might be a bust," Kaylee overheard Gav whisper to Victoria on the forty-ninth floor. "I say we speed up the process and skip straight to the top."

A second after he said that, though, Zahlia walked over with not just one, but two different card keys. Gav's eyes frowned deeply, and Kaylee tilted her head to the side.

"These two are different," Zahlia whispered, showing the keys to them. The others moved to gather around too. "The one we have is heavier. It also has a second, thin magnetic strip at the back, see it here?"

"It looks like it's used to open additional things, yeah," Gav said, glancing up at Zahlia and nodding. "Good to know. Let's refocus our strategy and start trying this key in as many places as possible." Zahlia returned the second card key to its location in a worker's desk drawer, and the group started shoving their first key into any metallic slot they could find.

Blake was the one who discovered the third stairwell. He had been lingering over by a tapestry that hung on the wall, which was an unnecessarily artsy rendition of the floor plan of that part of the building. It was set in a big frame and Kaylee made a face at it as she walked over to Blake. He was counting on his fingers, a frown on his face.

"What's up?" she asked quietly, and he turned to face her with a remote expression.

"These ugly things are only on every tenth floor. I wonder why."

"I dunno, decoration?" Kaylee asked, frowning and shaking her head from behind her mask. "Do you want to check it for secret passageways or something?"

"Yeah," Blake said with blunt honesty. He moved to one side and Kaylee, rolling her eyes, went to the other. When they almost dropped it Jason came jogging over and stabilized it, giving them a questioning look that neither Blake nor Kaylee could respond to. They shifted the huge tapestry to the left, trying not to make any noise, and by now they had drawn the attention of all the rest of their group.

The tapestry confusion was soon wiped from their minds as their eyes raked around the seams that connected some sections of the wall. It wouldn't have been noticeable if they weren't already studying the space very hard, but there it was; the middle panel was sticking out slightly farther than all the others.

Looks were exchanged around lightning-fast. Kaylee could see most of their eyes were wide open, the white creating a moat around their irises. No one could have foreseen this.

"Is this seriously what it looks like?" Beth asked in a harsh whisper as Gav moved forward and tugged at the sides of the panel.

"Orion, get the other side, will you?" Gav asked, and Orion moved off to pull at the panel with him. It didn't move very much at all, and Kaylee felt a wave of frustration surge through her. That would have been _so cool_ if it had been true.

"Wait—" Orion said, sounding slightly out of breath from the exertion. He ducked his head to peer at the side of his panel, a small tuft of whitish-blond hair poking out of the back of his bandana-mask. "There's a… come, look."

The others crowded around the area Orion was indicating, and sure enough, there it was; in the side of the panel there was a very thin metal box with a slot in it, the same size as the card key. The others only looked at each other in hesitation for a second. Then Gav slid the key into the slot.

The panel slid back and sideways into the wall, shockingly silent. There was a tiny little hiss of displaced air, a soft click, and the dark passageway was open. For a while they just stared into it, blinking in the blackness and struggling to make out any shapes. Kaylee could scarcely believe it.

"Where does this even go?" she whispered, even quieter than normal.

"Don't know," Gav said. "Kaylee, I want you and the others to stay behind. I'm—"

"No," Victoria, Beth, Kaylee, Gina, and Jason all said in unison. Orion also shook his head at Gav, raising one eyebrow like he was nuts.

"Nice try," Victoria said, shoving some stray red hair back under the bandana. Kaylee could see the outline of her smile shifting the fabric of her mask. Gav sighed and put his hand at his belt, where his Pokémon were.

"We have to be extremely careful, and ready for anything. Got it?"

"Got it," was the general consensus. Kaylee let Victoria and Gav head down first, but followed suit at once. She turned to see if all the others were coming or just a few, since Zahlia, Blake and Amaris had been silent. Amaris was following right behind her, though, pushing past Gina and Jason to be next in line. Gina said quietly to him, "what happened to ladies first?" but it was the last sentence that any of them spoke as they headed down very narrow, very cramped stairs. Claustrophobia threatened to set in for Kaylee.

She expected the stairwell to go down and down forever, the way it did in horror movies, but the cramped little fight of stairs was quite short. They filed out into a room of some kind and blinked myopically, breathing shallowly, until their eyes could adjust a little. The first thing Kaylee spotted was a desk built into a wall with a computer on it. Gav was moving over to it in a second, and Kaylee shifted off to the other side of the narrow, long room. The ceiling's clearance was incredibly low, and Kaylee reached up and touched the top of it with her fingertips.

"Brilliant," Victoria breathed quietly from beside her. "I'm willing to bet this place is sound-proofed, too."

"Why would they build something like this into the very foundation of the company?" Kaylee whispered.

"They wouldn't," Victoria said, pulling out a flash drive from the bag at her Pokémon belt. "But they have something to hide."

The teams split up and tackled their various information-gathering jobs. Gina and Jason's Dexes were pointless in the dark, and no one wanted to risk turning on a light. Kaylee and the others took to exploring the rest of this strange space, turning in tight little corners and struggling not to catch their elbows on each other.

"Hey," Kaylee said, pausing before a door. "Go get the card key, Jason." She could see a glowing light from underneath the door, and, wondering if there was someone behind it, she got down on her hands and knees and peered beneath the tiny crack. It looked like a broom closet in there, and what was more, there was no one there. It looked like the floor was glowing, and Kaylee frowned. "The heck…"

Jason returned with the key and slid it into the door, and Kaylee quietly pushed it open. It was, indeed, the equivalent of a supply closet, and the only thing in it was a single, two-foot by two-foot tile, softly glowing. It had a hollow diamond on it, but nothing else. Kaylee edged in around it, careful not to touch it, and stared down, wondering what its purpose was. Gina snapped a photo.

Amaris was in the doorway, one eyebrow raised, staring in turn at Jason, Gina and Kaylee, who were all stuffed awkwardly in the room on all sides of the tile. She could see him roll his eyes, underlit from the strange glow. "Fascinating," he whispered. "Can we go now?"

"Guys!" Beth hissed from behind Amaris, her appearance startling the hell out of everyone in the room. Gina was the first one to step on it, as Amaris and Beth's sudden movements had caused her to move forward jerkily, and Jason was the next, putting a hand to her shoulder to stabilize her. Amaris was the last, his heel edging onto it after he spun around to say something no doubt scathing and mean to Beth for her interruption. He never got a chance to.

There was a flash of light, a burst of heat, and when Kaylee's eyes stopped burning, she saw that she and Beth were alone in the closet. They locked eyes at once, horrified and stunned.

Kaylee took exactly one second to swear very colorfully under her breath before she and Beth took off down the narrow hall, racing to get Gav and the others.


	7. What Did You Do? :Amaris:

Chapter 7: What Did You Do?

(Amaris Drake)

One minute Amaris was facing what's-her-face, the inane, senseless girl, ready to let loose with an insult that would simultaneously cover her parentage, her I.Q., and her common sense in one go. The next minute he was staring at empty space.

Someone slammed into him from the side, and he stumbled and righted himself before he would have tumbled to the ground. Then someone else bumped into him a split second later and he did fall over.

"What the hell?" Gina somehow managed to combine a whisper and a shout. Amaris picked himself up and turned to face her, cold anger on his face, but he was stopped dead by what he saw.

This place was considerably larger than the little closet with the stupid glowing tile on the floor. Amaris' eyes raked up to the ceiling and down the walls, taking in the long, high-ceilinged corridor they were now in. Gina and the younger Fremont brother sidled in close to either side of him, like fighter jets moving into formation, and he fought the urge to edge away from them. His face was frozen in complete confusion, and none of them seemed to want to move.

"We were teleported," Gina said, ever the model of obviousness. He saw the Fremont brother nod out of the corner of his eye. "The tile's gone," she continued, and this piece of information at least was actually relevant. Amaris looked down at their feet, and, sure enough, there was no tile there for them to conveniently step on and, following logic, return to the former room. They were stuck.

The Fremont cursed quietly. "We can't just stand here. We have to figure out what part of the building we're in. Then we can just take the elevator back to the others. I've, uh, I think…" he dug in his pocket and sighed in relief. "Yeah, I've still got the card key."

"Okay," Gina said, moving off down the hall. Amaris followed suit, staring over at the closed doors that seemed endless. He slowed halfway down the long space and the other two didn't immediately notice that he had stopped. Eventually Gina did though, and doubled back towards him.

"Come on, what are you doing?" she asked.

"We should look around, while we're here. Clearly a teleportation pad in a hidden closet must lead to something important."

"Yeah, but the others must be freaking out right now. We just disappeared on them."

Amaris let out a long-suffering sigh and rolled his eyes. "So call his brother," he jabbed a thumb towards their companion, "or Gav, on their phones. I'm sure right now they're turning on their various electronic devices to get in touch with us."

Gina's face, from what he could see of it, turned slightly red. It was obvious even in the low lighting. She didn't say anything and fumbled with her Dex, and her friend did the same. While they were occupied Amaris took the card key from the Fremont, who only hesitated a moment before letting it go. Still, he was being watched like a hawk as he moved over to a random door, examined the metal slot, and slid it in.

The door opened easily, and Amaris pushed his way inside. Kadabra was back with the others and therefore could not run video camera interference, but at this point it really couldn't be helped. In his mind, they might as well get as much as they could from this area now that they were in it. The door lead to another door a short distance inside, and Amaris paused, uncertain.

"Two doors," Gina said, frowning. "This reminds me of the labs."

Amaris knew at once what she was talking about. Gina had often loitered around his uncle's labs, and they both knew that the double-door style of lab, where one had to close themselves in a short little hallway, suit up, then enter through the second door, meant there were probably contaminants inside. "Not this one, then," Amaris said, stepping back and letting the first door slide shut. "Any luck getting in touch with the group?" he asked.

"No," Gina said. "My signal isn't working at all down here, so we should go."

Amaris stared down the hall, the countless unopened doors mocking him. "One more," he said, picking one randomly farther down the hall.

"We're going to be looking for the stairs or elevator," Gina whispered. "We'll be back in a minute." Amaris just waved at her impatiently without looking up. This door had writing on it, but it was just a number. He pulled out his Dex and copied the number down on his digital notepad, then pocketed it again. The card key let him in to this one, and there was no second door inside. Instead there was a lab.

Amaris took out his Dex again, appreciating the soft glow from periodic, dim wall lights, and snapped photo after photo of the interior. He wasn't quite confident enough to try to turn on one of the computers, but he strolled up and down the tables, peering down at notes and scanning some documents into his Dex at random. It didn't look terribly interesting, but something gave him definite pause over at the far end of the table. Amaris was of the opinion that no one else in the world would be able to resist opening up the big black case with the impressive, large clip-snaps on either side. Inside it there were five large syringes, each with a cc capacity big enough to tranquilize a Rhyhorn. The clear, acid blue liquid inside drew his eye, and for some reason he could not shake the feeling that this moment was significant.

Gina rapped quietly on the door, which Amaris hadn't realized had closed behind him. He opened it for her and couldn't help but smirk at her furious eyes, the only part of her face that was visible.

"We had no idea which room you were in," she said. "Next time leave your shoe outside or something."

"My shoe?" he asked, raising one eyebrow and smiling broader.

"Shut up," she said, turning away and waving down the hall to the Fremont brother.

Tired of not knowing his name, Amaris said, "which one is he again?"

"Jason," she said in a deadpan voice, no longer bothering to be indignant about Amaris' lack of effort at learning her friends' names.

"Did you find the elevator?"

"There is no elevator. No stairs. There's not even anything to indicate which floor we're on, as far as we can see. We're stuck."

"Well," Amaris said, mock-dusting off his hands. "I guess we just have to keep opening doors, then. There's bound to be a way out of here, or they wouldn't have built this place."

Gina and Jason were obsessively trying and failing to send calls through to Gav and the others, but Amaris was far more interested in scoping out the rooms. He took just under a hundred photos over the next half hour and scanned in about fifty pages of documents. Most of the jargon was gibberish to him, but he did see a few files regarding the performance enhancers that Warren had been endorsing, and scanned those for Gav. Eventually though he grew bored of being the only one exploring, as Gina and Jason were only half-heartedly helping him.

"There are no tiles," Gina said, her nerves really starting to show in her eyes. "We need to go faster, just open all the doors and look inside for one."

"Fine," Amaris said, feeling sated in his curiosity for the time being. He handed the card to Jason. Turning to Gina, he explained, "since you don't have a good track record with these tiles, I defer this task to Fremont."

Jason and Gina both spoke at once: "You stepped on the tile too, jerk." "Don't call me Fremont."

Amaris took over Jason and Gina's task of trying to get through to the others on his Dex, turning it off and on a few times. They were making great progress down the rows, trading the card off between them as they worked down opposite sides of a new hallway. This place really was enormous. Amaris was staring down at his screen, trying to get a text to send, when he realized they had stopped moving. Gina was waiting with her hand open, expecting Jason to deposit the card into it, but Jason was just staring into the room he held open. Curious, Amaris moved to stand over his shoulder, and Gina came over to his other side. It took Amaris a second to realize what they were all looking at, but when he put the pieces together his eyebrows shot up into the edge of his bandana.

"No way," Gina whispered, stepping closer to the reflective chrome sphere, larger than an average Pokéball. The white M embossed across the violet top made Amaris feel like they were on Candid Camera.

"It's probably not real," Amaris whispered. "Let's go."

Jason, however, was snooping around the rest of the room now. "No, man. I don't think it's fake. Check this out."

Amaris had no desire to check out whatever it was, but Gina moved over to Jason. In a moment they were scanning their Dexes over documents, tag-teaming the effort, and Amaris sighed, heading over to a carefully dissected Pokéball beside the "Masterball." He had never really seen a ball taken apart like this, since they were notorious for being seen in only two modes: fully intact and utterly destroyed. He snapped a photo of it just for kicks, and frowned at the intricate little glass bits within.

"Okay," Gina said, heading over to Amaris. "We can go." She glanced back at Jason, seeing that he was lingering over the Masterball with a hungry look. "No way, you cannot take that thing with you. C'mon."

"Man," Jason said, disappointed, and the group headed out and continued their frantic search for a transportation tile. Amaris wondered if the others had chalked them up as casualties of war yet.

They were almost to the end of their particular hall when the worst sound in the world came to them from only five doors down; someone who was definitely not one of them was coming out of an office.

Gina proved to be insanely fast on her feet for once, sliding their card key into the next door and throwing it open in record time. Everyone was in it and pulling the door shut behind them in less than two seconds. Then it was time to hold their collective breaths. Amaris had no idea if the person down the hall had noticed them coming in here or not.

Jason's hand was on his arm, tapping harshly, barely a second later. Amaris turned around, eyes hard, and saw that the Fremont kid was pointing at another door off to the left—and the glowing line of light beneath it.

"Yes," Gina whispered, moving forward with the key and opening the door. Amaris was going to point out that they had no way of predicting where this teleportation tile would take them, but as he was forming the argument in his head, the sound of someone sliding a card key into the hallway door came to his ears.

"Yes," he agreed with Gina, ushering all of them onto the tele-warp pad.

* * *

The next place they went to, Amaris decided, was decidedly worse than the last place. In this place they were surrounded by people.

"What the hell?" someone shouted, almost in unison with Jason's similar variation of "what the?" Amaris had a hand at Wartortle's Pokéball in a second, ready to release him, and in that first instant where everyone was too shocked to act, he took in his surroundings the best he could. Most of the people in here didn't look threatening, and no one had any kind of weapon, so to speak, but a few of them were starting to reach for Pokémon at their belts. Amaris glanced at the door. There was a large table and more people between the door and them; the room held about ten total. They would not be able to flee. They had to fight their way out.

As if his thoughts had kick-started the battle, the first flash of red light lit up the room. Amaris was not sure in the ensuing chaos who had sent forth the first Pokémon; soon three of his were out, as were many of Gina's and Jason's. Amaris had never seen any of Jason's Pokémon except the Bulbasaur, and he had to hope it would be clear who was the enemy and who was on his side.

There was a Magnemite floating around, and he could see a Marowak and a Koffing—a second before great plumes of noxious smoke blocked that side of the room out—but Amaris knew this battle would degenerate into chaos promptly. He ordered a Water Gun move and heard vines cracking harshly over solid surfaces and a few glass objects hitting the walls and shattering. From beside him Gina shouted, "Gust!" and her Pidgeotto sent papers, pencils, clipboards, CDs, file folders, and a few Pokémon flying. He saw what she was trying to do—clear them a path to the door—and shouted, "Headbutt!" at Wartortle, who leapt forward and slammed into a Geodude that was trying to get in their path.

"Go!" Jason shouted, shoving Gina towards the table. She cast a wild glance back at him and Amaris, clearly laboring with the mistaken concern that they were going to heroically stay back and fight. Screw that—Amaris, at least, was going to do no such thing.

"The door!" he called to his team, and saw with satisfaction that Wartortle preceded him to the hallway to check the way. His Pidgeot, already too large to fit comfortably in the room, crashed messily out next in a screeching, feathery mess, followed shortly by Eevee. Gina's Charmander set fire to the pants of a scientist who made the mistake of grabbing her arm. In the ensuing pandemonium Amaris made it over to her, ironically grabbing her arm in the exact same place and running them over to the door.

"J—_come on!_" Gina shouted, just barely catching herself from calling Jason's name out to a room full of foes. Amaris was tempted to just shove her out the door and into the hallway, but instead he turned around and added his shout to hers. _"Leave it, you idiot!_"

Jason finally leapt over the table in his way, Bulbasaur beside him, and finally, _finally_ they were all out in the hall. Amaris recalled his more ungainly Pokémon, as did Gina and Jason, and the three of them were booking it down an unfamiliar corridor in no time.

"Don't recognize," Gina panted, but stopped running so abruptly Amaris almost slammed into her. Before he could snipe out a nasty comment she pointed into another room.

"No," Amaris said, casting a glance behind him. There was shouting down the hall, and the workers in the room would soon be ready to give chase. Still, "No. Not another teleporting pad. Those aren't working well for us."

"This might be the last chance we have," Jason said, and without another word he recalled the last of his Pokémon, grabbed Gina and Amaris by the arms, and started dragging them towards it. Gina recalled Charmander and actually grabbed the Pokéball out of Amaris' hand to recall his final Pokémon, Eevee. Amaris was torn between struggling or not, and in that moment of hesitation, they got him onto the thrice-damned diamond-patterned tile.

* * *

It took him a second to realize why Gina had let out a huge breath of air beside him and Jason had stifled a whoop of joy. They were back in the tiny, cramped broom closet they had started in.

"Kaylee! Beth, Gav!" Jason hissed, running out of the room. Gina paused only to shove Eevee's Pokéball back into Amaris' hand, then ran after him. Very careful not to step on the stupid tile for a second time, Amaris followed. As an afterthought he closed the closet door behind him.

The room looked untouched. For a second Amaris seriously considered that they could have been teleported to a similar, but different room. However certain things gave it away—the way the paperwork was placed on the desk, and the fact that when he ran his gloved hand over the computer monitor, static electricity clung to his fingers. The room was the same one the others had just been in, except that the others were now gone.

"Hell," Amaris said under his breath. "They bailed."

"No, they didn't," Gina said, even now frantically dialing up her Dex. "They went looking for us when we didn't come back in almost an _hour_. Oh thank god, I have a sig—Gav?" Gina plugged her opposite ear with her finger, and Amaris actually took a break from his adrenaline-fueled fight-or-flight mode to find that motion ludicrously unnecessary. It was quiet as the grave in here. "We're back in that room, with the small closet. We're okay, but we were seen. We were seen—" Gina seemed to have to repeat herself hastily to interrupt the Harrison brother. She paused, and Jason was staring at her like she had her fingers poised over a missile launcher. "We don't know what area the other people were in. We teleported there and we had to run right away. Yeah, we're back in the room with the tile in the closet. Okay. Okay. We'll meet you there, be careful. Bye."

Gina hung up and shoved her Dex in her pocket. "They're all together. They're going to meet us on this floor, by the elevator." No one had to tell anyone to hurry.

The short minutes they spent waiting at the elevator felt like some of the longest of Amaris' life. The sound of Jason's breathing, for example, was grating on his nerves like steel wool on a chalkboard. When the elevator doors opened and the rest of their group piled out like people from a clown car, he let out a terse sigh. "Let's get out of this hellish place."

"Pronto," Gav said, turning the over-eager group around and herding them all back into the very, very cramped elevator. Amaris could see that Gav had procured a second card key, perhaps the one Zahlia had found in that drawer. Amaris wound up smashed up against Jason and Gina, feeling overheated and incredibly uncomfortable. Some of Gina's hair had escaped from its bandana and was tickling the few inches of his exposed face horrendously. Of course this frustration was exacerbated when the elevator stopped working.

"No, what the heck happened?" Angry sister-of-Gav demanded of it, jamming buttons. Gav wormed his way past them, shoving Amaris further into his neighbors. The elder Harrison sibling started doing who-knew-what to the elevator behind him, and Amaris shifted uncomfortably against Gina.

"It will be extremely inconvenient if we all die here," he said conversationally, a murderous edge in his voice. "Dying was not on my list of things to accomplish today."

"Amaris?" Gina asked. "Shut up."

Before he could think of a witty retort to the banter, which would have made him feel a little more normal and infinitely better in this crappy situation, the entire floor began to glow. He only had enough time to look over at Gav mutinously and ask, "_what did you do?_" before they were all transported.

* * *

_Author's note: Hahahaha. My readers are psychic :P I have a little buffer of chapters for Scarlet and I'm noticing people predicting things… for example, that an Amaris POV chapter was coming up._

_To answer a question someone else had, it is the dead middle of the night for the Silph Co. (probably 1 a.m.) which is why no one else is around in the main office section._


	8. A Warehouse :Victoria:

Chapter 8: A Warehouse

(Victoria Larson)

They appeared in a warehouse. Still in the formation of people who had been crammed into an elevator, the group sagged outward and stumbled, no longer held up by walls. Kaylee's elbow dug into Victoria's side as they shuffled to stay upright, breaking apart and giving each other breathing room. Victoria's eyes snapped up to the ceiling, taking in the height and the dusky metal beams above them. There were no windows and the place stretched for quite a ways around them. It looked big enough to be an economy-purchase storehouse, the kind her family had started shopping at for food in bulk after her father no longer lived with them. Victoria's first impulse was to remain very still and very quiet.

It was everyone else's first impulse, too. Gav's hand was on her back, she realized belatedly, and the moment she noticed he removed it slowly. His eyes were trained on the darkness, struggling to see through the more shadowy areas.

Finally Gav started to move, very carefully, towards one end of the warehouse. Victoria thought she saw what had drawn him; there was something there that looked a lot like a door. If it lead to the outside world, Victoria was quite sure it would rank at the very top of her brand-new Favorite Doors of All Time list.

The rest of the group fanned out slightly, staggering their numbers out so as to cover more ground and provide better cover. They had never practiced a formation like this before, but it seemed to be an unspoken group mentality.

They made it to the door without incident, and once there they spread out down to the edges of the warehouse, carefully securing the area and slowly ascertaining that they were alone, at least on this end. The other end of the building seemed to be a very long ways away, though Victoria's eyes were acting up in the strange, minimal lighting available and she could not judge the distance. Gav waved them all over and whispered in a barely-audible voice, "is everyone okay?" Victoria felt more than saw the others all shifting in even closer so they could hear better.

"We're okay," Gina whispered back, indicating herself, Jason, and Amaris. The others all nodded as well, continuing to cast nervous glances around. Now that they were standing right beside the big double doors, Victoria was seized with uncertainty. These doors might not actually top the list of her Favorite Doors of All Time. There could be something decidedly not wonderful behind them after all. Their options, however, were sorely limited.

"Be ready," Victoria whispered to the others, and closed her hand around Oddish's Pokéball. All around her Pokéballs were detached from belts, and very carefully, Gav pushed the doors open.

They did not lead to the outside. They did, however, lead to smaller, uninhabited room. Victoria's eyes were instantly drawn to the center where a bizarre cylindrical contraption sat. The glass tube looked like it held nothing but air, but there was more to it than that. There was what appeared to be a sub-woofer speaker attached to the front of a monitor of buttons, and wires twisted up into the tube, attached to it with little plastic washers. Victoria frowned. She saw one of the Pokédexes rise beside her and snap a photo.

"The heck is this?" Kaylee asked softly, walking a few steps closer. Gav stepped forward to her, and she stopped, turning to face him. "Not gonna touch it," she assured him.

"I don't know," he answered. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Hate to interrupt," Amaris began, and Victoria was pretty sure that was a total lie. Clearly he loved to interrupt. "But I sort of don't think now is the time to gather more information."

"I agree," Gina whispered, and Victoria caught the double-take Amaris gave her. "We really should be getting out of here."

"You're right," Gav said, which took Victoria seriously by surprise. "Let's try again out in the main warehouse." The others moved back towards the door, but Victoria stopped Gav on his way out.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay back and get as much information here as I can? Someone can come get me if you find a way out."

That gave Gav definite pause, and she could see the way his eyes narrowed as he thought. He shook his head. "We're in over our heads. To put it lightly. Can't risk it, as tempting as it is. Come on."

Victoria cast a glance back at the room with the strange device and allowed the door to close behind her. Up ahead Amaris was asking Blake for his Kadabra back, and received a Pokéball from the boy. They made it halfway across the warehouse before company tele-warped in on the other side.

Kaylee swore. The group froze for a second, debating the odds that they had not been seen. It was hopeless—they were in plain sight. The decision took all of a second to reach its conclusion, but suddenly their previous group cohesiveness vanished. Gav, Victoria, Orion and Beth ran back towards the room with the device, the Initiates branched off to the left, and the Nakawas and Kaylee split to the right. Victoria felt a surge of panic at their group being separated yet again, and called in annoyance to Kaylee, "get back here!" but it was no use. Shouts and noise were filtering in from the other side of the warehouse, and her command was drowned out.

She and the others tore back into the room and slammed the door shut, taking the time to release their Pokémon, ready now for the fight. They had instinctively decided to run in here to regroup, even though it seemed counterproductive to go into a closed-in space, and clearly the others had not shared the same impulse.

"We have to go back out," Gav said, moving forward and pushing the door half-open. Victoria was ready to dodge, roll, run, or shout an order to her Pokémon, but what ended up happening was her jumping about a foot in the air as a new voice shouted from directly behind them. She spun around just in time to see a tele-warp tile fading on the floor and two freaked-out looking men stumbling back from their group. Apparently this was not backup, but people sent to guard the room, or something. They had Pokémon at their belts but were not at all giving off the "we want to fight you" vibe. In fact, one of the men was so reluctant to be near the four black-clad teens and their potpourri assortment of Pokémon that he tripped backwards and crashed against the monitor of the speaker-glass-tube machine.

Lots of things happened at once. The hair on Victoria's arms and the back of her neck stood right up on end. Blinking lights flashed on the monitor, and the crackling hum of the large speaker turning on came to her ears. Their Pokémon began to freak the hell out: she had no other way of describing it. Oddish rolled over on its side and Bellsprout had a shuddering convulsion, its skinny body moving as if doing the wave. Gav's Geodude slammed into the ground, which looked completely intentional—Beth's Staryu flew up to the ceiling much in the same fashion and spun there, out of control. Orion's Meowth was screaming—and so was Orion.

Victoria's mouth fell open as she watched Orion crumple to the ground, grab his head, and howl. Beth was by him in a second, putting her arms around his shoulders and trying to stabilize him, but the second she touched him he thrashed and she was shoved brutally across the ground. Angry heat boiled in Victoria's chest at seeing her sister wince from the fall, but fear for Orion overrode that reaction. For a horrible second no one knew what to do.

Gav was the first to act, recalling his Pokémon. Victoria and Beth followed suit, and Victoria approached Orion, feeling suddenly lion-hearted and unafraid, just wanting to get them all out of here. She grabbed Meowth's Pokéball from where it had fallen near his knee, but Orion did not make a motion to attack her or push her away. His face was contorted in agony. It looked like he was trying to make noise but had run out of air. Victoria returned Meowth, pocketed the ball with shaking hands, and helped Beth up as Gav hauled Orion to his feet. Orion pulled back, turned around and punched Gav right across the jaw. Victoria let out a small shout of horror totally against her will as Gav's head snapped to the side and he staggered back, losing his grip.

"_Get out of here_," Victoria hissed, shoving Beth towards the door as she jogged over to Gav. He had recovered, though, and after shaking his head out, he jumped back at Orion and grabbed him, inciting a vicious struggle.

Orion was actually a pretty big guy. Victoria had never realized it, since his sweet demeanor always made him seem somehow less imposing, but she was seeing now what over six feet of aggressive, violent male could do. Gav was shorter than him by a few inches, and was impeded by his reluctance to do any real damage to his friend. Orion was lashing out, landing blows on him and doing anything in his power to resist capture. Gav finally slammed his forehead into the side of Orion's face, temporarily stunning him, then spun him around and grabbed his arms.

"_Out!_" he shouted, dragging Orion to the door. Victoria scrambled to open it for them. The last thing she saw in the room was the two workers, both frantically huddled over the machine, apparently too busy trying to fix the damage they had done to it to care that they were escaping.

There was a Pokémon battle going on outside, hidden somewhere to the side. In fact, it sounded more like a Pokémon free-for-all. Orion collapsed to his knees the second the big metal doors closed behind them, but he was still thrashing weakly against Gav. Gav released him, breathing hard, and caught Victoria's eyes.

"I have to stay here with him. Kaylee—"

"I'll find her," Victoria said, taking off in the direction she and the Nakawas had gone.

It did not take her long to find them. All she had to do was follow the fire. Kaylee had one of the attackers backed up against a corner, one Growlithe keeping the woman there with bursts of fire to threaten her against any forward movement. The other Growlithe was locked in fierce combat with a Tauros, and it was not faring well. Blake's Pidgeotto was circling above, dropping things from the shelves onto the Tauros and a Tangela, which was catching items in mid-air and flinging them back up at the bird.

"Wrap it up!" Victoria hissed, sending out Bellsprout and direly hoping that it was okay. Bellsprout looked as shaken up and frightened as Victoria had ever seen it, and her heart sank in fear as she considered recalling it. It did not look ready to fight. Nevertheless, Bellsprout shook itself out and snapped vines brutally across Tauros' flank.

Blake, meanwhile, had sent out a Farfetch'D, and the small duck leapt nimbly onto a shelf, then another one, and came careening down on a man who had been standing out of Victoria's line of sight. The man shouted in alarm and flailed, and in a moment the Farfetch'D had its leek at the man's throat in a bizarrely threatening motion for such a non-threatening creature.

"Recall them," Zahlia said in a cold voice while her Gastly was preoccupied with a Voltorb. The man decided that four-to-one odds were not in his favor anymore, and was quickly persuaded to recall the Tauros, Tangela, and Voltorb.

"Give them to Farfetch'D," Zahlia said, her voice steady and her posture unyielding. This took longer, but when Gastly swooped down at the man's face suddenly, he complied. Farfetch'D obeyed a whistled command from Blake and hustled the Pokéballs up ten shelves to drop them in some unmarked cardboard box. The man stared up at the box helplessly and as one, the group of four trainers split in the opposite direction. Victoria recalled Bellsprout, which was not the fastest runner, and after a moment they were joined again by Growlithe.

"Thank god," Gav said hoarsely at the sight of them rounding the corner from behind the shelves. Beth had apparently found the Initiates, though Gina was bearing a bruise near her eye that would no doubt become a shiner. Jason was crouched near his brother, holding onto him.

"No more doors," Gav said, out of breath and wincing in pain. He motioned to Jason and Amaris. "We need your Pokémon to get us out."

Amaris understood, and a second later a Kadabra was sent forth. Jason hesitated for a moment, exchanged an uncertain look with Gina, and finally sent out his Abra. Also out were the two men from the room with the speaker-device.

Flashes of red light flooded out around them, and an array of their various Pokémon soon created a barrier between their group and the two men. One man was talking on what looked like a walkie-talkie, and Bellsprout whipped out a vine and smacked it out of his hand.

"We can take them," Kaylee said, her eyes staring hard at the two men, who were now reaching for Pokémon.

"They probably just called back-up," Victoria snapped, not willing to argue this point. Evidently the tele-warp tiles were utterly unpredictable, and in seconds they could be surrounded again.

"Get him out first," Gav said, motioning Jason to Orion. Amaris barked out an order to Kadabra, who grabbed hold of Orion and Jason and vanished with them.

Gina was leaning down to Abra, her hand on its head, and whispered something. It hesitated, but after that uncertain moment it walked over to Blake and grabbed hold of his leg, and vanished with him.

The two men had sent out four Pokémon, one of which was a Weezing. Black smog filled the air just as Kadabra returned and snagged Zahlia and Beth. The two girls barely had time to recall their Pokémon before they vanished. The smog was cut by the empty space the two trainers and Pokémon had left behind for one second before the thick purple smoke rushed in to fill the empty space. Fire from Kaylee's Growlithe cut through the air and Victoria could hear the yelp of some kind of Pokémon from across the room. She began to cough and ducked low to get away from the toxic air.

Abra was back, and Gina gave it directions for Kaylee. Growlithe was recalled as Kaylee was teleported, and Victoria recalled Bellsprout, knowing it was just a matter of time now. She could hear stumbling footsteps growing closer through the thick haze, and heard the sound of some kind of Pokémon snuffling its way over to them. Just as she was reconsidering her choice, Kadabra returned, and as it closed one strangely cool hand around her wrist, her last thought was a surge of concerned fear for the two Initiates who were still in the warehouse.

* * *

Gav and she appeared in his room in the Pokémon Center, completely alone. For one utterly heart-stopping second she thought the others had been taken somewhere else altogether, until there was a knock on the wall to the right. That wall, she remembered at once, was the one between this room and the room she shared with Beth, and relief flooded through her.

Victoria lunged for the door. "We need to see if—"

"Wait," Gav said, moving to stop her and shaking his head. Victoria just stared at him, unable to understand. What in the world should they wait for? They could walk down the hall and gather the others into his room, the way they always did. This panicked, dire feeling in her would not go away until she was looking into the faces of every single one of their number and was able to tell, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were all okay. Her temper started to rise in her now that they were out of immediate, life-threatening danger, and by the time thirty entire seconds had elapsed she was ready to snap.

Then Gav pulled out his phone. He hit a button and almost the second he had it to his ear she could hear muffled words filtering in from the other end of the line. Gav struggled to make sense of the conversation, a frown of alarm on his face. "Gina—you—he's not? You mean Amaris is still—oh thank god. He just did right now? Your room? Okay, good, listen, I'm hanging up. Stay there. Stay th—okay. Bye."

Gav hung up and Victoria stared hard at him, though the edge of her hysteria was wearing off now that she had put the clues together and ascertained that Gina and Amaris, the last two in that warehouse, had been brought back safely. Her legs felt weak and jelly-like, but she could not bring herself to sit.

Gav sent out a mass-text, and she got it on her cellphone a second later. _Send out a message to everyone if you are okay. Stay in your rooms. — G_

Victoria sent hers out first, a simple _I'm fine,_ and stared anxiously at her phone. Then the messages started pouring in at once, and as each one lit up her screen she felt one more knot of tension loosening in her back.

_Okay but freaked out. Y cant we come into your room? — K_

_ok. — B_

_I'm alright and so is amaris, he doesn't have your phone #s. — Gi_

_Blake and I are fine. — Z_

_I'm ok but Orion is in bad shape… worst is over i think but idk what to do. we r in his room. — J_

At the last message Victoria looked up and met Gav's eyes. He nodded and turned around, starting to undress rather abruptly. Victoria realized after a second that he was getting rid of the very telling all-black clothing, and she turned to the door to give him privacy, leaning over her phone to write back to Jason.

_Gav is going to come over. Stay put. — V_

* * *

A shaky, chaotic hour later, ten badly-dressed teens were crammed together in Orion's room. They had thrown on whatever their fingers first touched in their dresser drawers and came by in small increments, their paranoia reaching new levels. Amaris came in last, lugging the backpack and side-bag that held their street clothing, which Victoria had been sure was lost forever somewhere in an alley outside Silph. He muttered that he'd made Kadabra stop there before heading to the Center, which was why he had been late. After the door closed behind the last of them, the talking began. At first it was just babble, people speaking over one another, no longer having to whisper for the first time in hours. Even so, no one rose their voice above a murmur, as if there were potential spies in their closet at this very minute.

Orion's faint groan of distress shut them all up pretty fast. Jason limped back over to his side, and Gina was hovering at his other one, distress on her face. She kept looking to the left and right, as if searching for something to do for him and finding nothing. It was a while before Orion could talk, and in the meantime the others conversed in quiet, calmer voices.

"Is he okay?" was one of the first questions.

"He nodded," Jason reported. Not saying anything else, he went back to staring at his brother.

"What happened to him?" Kaylee asked, also not taking her eyes off the older Fremont brother for very long.

"We were in the room with the speaker device," Beth said, and Victoria was deliriously grateful that her sister was taking over the information-trading. Victoria's brain was shot, fried, toasted, and blasted to smithereens by this point. "Some Silph worker tripped and turned the machine on, and all our Pokémon freaked out and… Orion, it seemed like it hurt him."

There was a quiet little huff of a laugh from Orion's form on the bed, and Gina's and Jason's faces finally broke from the tense, grave expressions they had been wearing and eased into nervous smiles. It was a good sign that Orion still had a sense of humor.

"What about you?" Beth asked Kaylee. "What happened?"

"Just a battle. Pokémon battle," Kaylee clarified. "We overpowered the two people."

"Gina, your face."

Gina stared blankly at Blake, who had just said the last three words. She looked honestly baffled for a second, as admittedly there were some key words missing from that sentence. Victoria would have added: "is truly screwed up." Gina's shiner was blossoming now, spreading down to her cheek as well. This finally occurred to Gina and she lifted her fingertips to the bruise, scowling. "We three had a regular battle… sans Pokémon."

"Punching thirteen-year-olds," Victoria said, marginally stunned at how dead her own voice sounded. "Fabulous people we're dealing with."

"Jason, is your leg okay?" Gina asked suddenly, the frown returning to her face. That had Orion turning over with great difficulty on the bed, his eyes fixed on his brother's face. Victoria felt her heart plunge down into her stomach, which was now apparently full of ice water. Orion looked terrible. His eyes were glassy and bloodshot, somehow looking closer to frosty blue than the normal, rich color they usually were. He was pale and ashen, and dried sweat was matting his hair. His lips were chapped and it looked like each breath he pulled in was hurting him. Victoria normally did not experience empathy pain, but her nerves twisted with Orion's as she watched him.

He finally managed to speak, wetting his lips with his tongue before he attempted it. "How many of you got hurt?" he asked in a hoarse, dry whisper, his eyes scanning the room.

"I'm fine," Jason said. "I just landed funny on it."

"I've had worse," Gina said with a smile, resting her hand tentatively on Orion's shoulder. He smiled at her, and Gina turned to give Amaris a wide grin. "Heck, Amaris fights better than that guy did."

"As I recall, we were seven and you were the one who punched me first," Amaris said, speaking up for the first time. The response seemed automatic, though, not much feeling behind it. His eyes were trained unblinkingly on Gina's steadily-growing bruise, and she frowned at him.

"Didn't you get into that crazy scuffle right after? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Amaris said. "You two wore him down for me, thanks for that." Something in his tone was stiff and cold, though he was trying for aloof humor.

The others murmured their assurances that they had gotten away unscathed, but Orion closed his eyes miserably for a moment. Victoria thought at first that he was in pain, but a second later he let out a breath and said, in a wretched tone, "Gav, Beth. I'm so sorry."

"What?" Kaylee asked, turning to her brother and friend with confusion all over her face. "What happened?"

Gav answered at the same time Orion did: "He was just struggling a little, confused, not a big deal." "I attacked them."

Kaylee shook her head. "Wait, wait. Which was it?"

Gav walked over to Orion so he was in his line of sight and shook his head. "No, man. You were in serious pain. People don't know where they are when they're in pain like that. You were just freaked out. It's fine, we're both fine. How are you feeling?"

Orion was quiet for a moment, and Victoria saw his Adam's apple move once in a hard, emotional jerk. Then he tried for nonchalance. "Pretty crappy. Mostly tired. Thirsty though."

Jason was on his feet in a second, but a wince came to his face. Gina jumped up instead, putting her hand out. "I'll get the water," she told him.

"Um," Amaris said, rolling his eyes at them. "No, limping-boy and punched-in-the-face-girl. You look a little obvious. I'm going to get the water." No one argued with him as he slipped from the room.

Victoria finally glanced over at Zahlia, and didn't find it surprising that her expression was one of muted blankness. She was probably just as exhausted as Victoria was right now.

Gav sighed. "There's not a very good chance that they'll find us right away. Still, we can't stay here long. Trick is though, we can't skip first thing in the morning, either. If we all check out in one big group, that will leave an electronic trail if they know to follow it. We should stagger our check-out from the Center, a few people every few hours."

There were some nervous glances, but no one could argue with the logic. Gav groaned and sat down heavily on a chair, stretching his body. Amaris returned with water, and Gav and Victoria exchanged a look.

"I know it's the last thing anyone wants to do, but we need to do the post-mission checklist," Gav said. There were groans, except from Amaris who just raised an eyebrow at Gina.

"Self-explanatory, you'll see," she said, her energy suddenly gone as she sat down on the ground and leaned back against a wall.

"There will be a lot more to go over in way more detail, but we should save that until we're on the road out of here. That's the top priority now."

Victoria asked everyone the usual questions as Orion sat up in an ungainly way and guzzled his water. Did anyone leave anything behind? Items were checked and inventory was taken. Was anything else noticed that is immediately relevant? Silence reigned while people thought, but beyond the glaringly obvious "we were spotted, there's a machine that makes Pokémon and Orion flip out, and there is a whole hidden part of the Silph company full of people who punch us," the bases had been covered.

Victoria stopped paying attention in earnest about halfway through. It was second-nature to run through this stuff by now anyway, and her mind had taken off towards sleep long ago. It still occurred to her, though, as people started filing slowly out of Orion's room in pairs, that one major question could probably not be answered. Her eyes lingered on Orion's face, and she realized he had fallen into a very, very deep sleep, which he no doubt sorely needed. She asked him the question in her head, silently, as she and Gav closed his door behind him. _What in the world happened to you?_

* * *

_Author's Notes: I dislike making so many Author's Notes, but I'll keep 'em short, promise. Skip this note if you have no questions about the plot :) I feel I should warn those who liked the Pokemon Master journey parts of Rose that it will be a while before the Initiates are in a Gym-battle setting. Saying anything else will spoil huge parts of the story, so that is all for now.  
_


	9. Learned Something New :Amaris:

Chapter 9: Learned Something New

(Amaris Drake)

His body hurt a whole lot more when he woke up the next morning. At first he didn't realize how sore he was, and made the mistake of trying to get up out of bed in one motion. His back screamed in protest, and a sharp pain shot around his ribs to match it. Amaris flopped back onto the bed, obeying his body's commands. Okay. This would be a slow morning.

Amaris tackled the monumental task of getting out of bed in stages. He pushed himself slowly into an upright position first, then carefully swung his legs over so he could touch his feet down to the cold floor. He let out a breath of air once this part was done, and took a break. His toes were tingling, and his legs ached like he'd done far more running than he'd actually done the night before. He reasoned it was probably tension-ache. The human body didn't really approve of being certain its own demise was right around the corner.

Amaris unbuttoned his plaid sleep shirt and gingerly pulled it off his shoulders. Sure enough, there were the series of bruises he had been expecting. Most were vaguely circular in shape, the size of the knuckle part of a fist or an open-palm strike, but one was long and very thin, with a blossom of yellowish-purple over at one end. He stared at it for a minute, trying to remember where that one had come from, then realized it must have been from when he'd been shoved into the thin metal tension chord that was tying two shelves together. He'd almost brought both of them crashing down on their scuffle.

It had been pretty dumb of Gina to get right between him and the guy after that, though in her defense she _had_ been about to send out her Pokémon when the big guy decided to add "punching girls" to his no doubt long list of misdemeanors. After that all Amaris could really remember was a new surge of adrenaline, flying fists, and Jason's particularly impressive flying leap to thrash at the back of the assailant's head.

So, yeah. He'd learned something new last night. Charging a guy five times his size resulted in a ton of bruises. Gina could take a punch and bounce back into a fight quickly. Jason could jump really, really high. And this team of renegade Rocket-thwarters was completely, irrevocably insane. Alright, so he'd learned a bunch of things. Uncle would have been proud.

It was hard to think of Andrew Drake, but it was even harder to feel helpless in the wake of his loss. Bruises, insanity, and life-threatening danger or no, Amaris had felt better than he'd had in months last night. He reasoned it was either because that infiltration had felt like something useful, or he had developed a death wish.

The others were gathering in Orion's room again that morning, and Amaris sensed that he had slept in far past his usual ass-crack-of-dawn time, and most likely had to get a move on if he didn't want the others to think he had expired in his sleep. Once he conquered the finer points of standing up and dressing himself, he checked that all of the discolored parts of his skin were covered. So far so good. Now it was time to focus on walking like a normal person.

Gina and Victoria were already in Orion's room, and Amaris got to witness a truly awkward girl bonding moment.

"Ouch. Is this really working?" Gina asked, wincing as Victoria smoothed her fingers over some kind of foundation and powder mixture on her cheek.

"If you'd stop fidgeting," Victoria muttered, a frown cemented on her face. Orion was watching this with some kind of cringing look of empathy-pain on his face the entire time, and Amaris noted that he looked better this morning. He was sporting some impressive bags under his eyes—they even rivaled the ones Amaris had been trying to lose lately—but all things considered he seemed more alert and mobile.

"We're moving out tomorrow," Victoria explained to Amaris without looking up from her task. Jason entered at that moment and Gina twitched like she wanted to look at him but stopped herself.

"Pidgeotto evolved last night," she said to him at once, smiling. Victoria sighed between her teeth and Gina went back to holding perfectly still. "I let them out to see if everyone was okay and presto-chango."

"Wicked!" Jason said, grinning. "I have to catch up. All I have is Nidorino on you."

"Yeah, well, my Nidoran is looking pretty buff these days," Gina said, trying to suppress a grin this time so as not to move her cheek. "Better not fall behind."

"I don't really get why Bulbasaur and Charmander are being so stubborn," Jason said, frowning. "You'd think they'd be at least at their second stage by now."

Gina shrugged, and earned herself a whap on the thigh from Victoria. "Ouch, sorry. Well, Pokémon evolve when they're ready, right? It's not just a…" she paused as Victoria got very close to her eye. "… A leveling thing, it's a personality thing too."

"So our starters are lazy."

"… Kinda, yeah."

Amaris didn't realize that a slight frown was on his face as he watched this exchange, but it hit him eventually that this was all very surreal. Gina and Jason were chatting away like they all hadn't possibly blown their cover the night before and hadn't escaped from Silph by the skin of their teeth. He wasn't sure if they were used to this kind of danger (heaven forbid) or if this moment of normality was their way of dealing with all the insanity.

"Hold _still_," Victoria demanded.

"You're stabbing at my _eye_," Gina insisted, frowning but quickly morphing her face back to neutrality when Victoria stopped to glare at her. "'M tryin'."

Amaris took this opportunity to zone out. While he was doing so the room began to fill up. Gav walked in at 12:45 holding a package of zip-discs and tossed his purchase on the bed at Orion's feet. Blake had arrived by that time, but no one else.

Gav frowned around the room. "What gives?"

"Don't know," Victoria said, snapping her compact mirror shut and sighing. "Well, you're presentable again," she commented to Gina as she got up and dusted powder from her capris.

"Thanks," Gina said, her hand moving up instinctively to touch at the area before she seemed to realize that smudging it would most likely result in a second punch to the face.

"I'm gonna go collect them," Gav said, and Amaris noted with some surprise that he seemed legitimately grouchy. A few minutes later their team was assembled, looking like victims of some sort of of horror movie.

"We've got a lot to discuss," Gav said, cutting right to the point. "First thing, how are you feeling today?" he asked of Orion.

Orion looked surprised to be put on the spot like that, and looked to the side quickly like he was trying to remember the answer to a test question. "Better," he said hastily. "Just kind of tired. I'm fine to leave as planned, though."

"Alright," Gav said, satisfied with that answer for now. "Next, Jason, Amaris. Your Pokémon really came through for us yesterday, but I need to know if that kind of travel is actually safe for us to rely on in the future."

Jason let out a strained laugh. "Abra seriously has never tried to teleport that many people over that short a time before. I was kind of shocked he could do it. It, uh… might be best if we try to not make him do that in the future."

"Kadabra isn't used to rapid teleportation either, but is more able to pinpoint locations." Amaris nodded over to Jason. "I think Kadabra may have lead your Abra to the proper places."

"That makes sense," Jason said. "We'd probably have wound up in the Dojo if not."

"Have you gone through any info you took yet?" Beth asked, curling her legs beneath her body.

"Not yet," Gav said, motioning to the pile of discs. "I need to do some serious back-ups of my PDA's hard drive. It's virtually full."

"That's right," Beth said, a lightbulb going off somewhere within. She turned sheepishly to Jason, Gina and Amaris. "That's, uh… why I was trying to get you three, last night… before you all stepped on the tile. Gav's PDA hit a huge surge of information to download and was running out of space."

"Well," Gina said, rummaging in her pocket and pulling out her Dex, "mine is nearing maximum capacity, too. That's kind of terrifying, actually."

"No kidding," Jason said. "These have wicked amounts of space, and I honestly don't even know what most of the things I took pictures of or scanned in… are." He frowned, obviously uncertain about the grammatical structure of that last sentence.

"That will be for later," Victoria said. "We'll sort through all this stuff at Edith's. What I want to know is what happened when we all got split up."

"Ah," Kaylee said, nodding ferociously. "Yeah, no kidding. Especially you three," she said, pointing at the Initiates. "It sounded like you went to a totally different area of the building, unless there were people on the top floors actually working at one in the morning."

"These people didn't look like regular Silph workers," Gina said, frowning. "I mean, one or two had lab coats, but for the most part they were just in regular clothing with Pokémon belts on. No neckties or collared shirts."

"Well, _duh_ those people weren't regular S workers," Jason said, falling back into his propensity to use their code names for places and people even when it wasn't necessary. "They work in a wing with no elevator and no stairs. That you can only reach through teleportation tiles. Through a locked door behind a tapestry."

"Okay, okay, time out," Victoria said, a frown on her face and her hands up in a T motion. "Slowing down and staying on topic. We'll start from when Jason, Gina, and Amaris were taken to a new location on the teleportation pad."

"Right," Jason said, glancing at the other two. Amaris rolled his eyes, having no desire at all to take over story-time, and Gina nodded her permission to him as well. "We wound up in a wing with no elevator and no stairs, like I said. There was a long hallway and a ton of doors. We'll show you the pictures."

Gina seemed to think of something she wanted to add, sitting up straighter. "It didn't seem like the rest of the building at all. Different carpet, different walls, different height of the ceiling, even. You know how the rest of the floors we visited were sorta cramped? This one had really high clearance."

Amaris sighed. They were discussing architecture and interior design. He let himself zone out until he heard Jason start to talk about the battle. Gav was shaking his head, and Amaris could almost see the statistics dwindling into something dismal in his head.

"Decidedly bad," Gav finally said. "Not that this could be helped. You all did what you had to. But you three definitely dropped in on some kind of late-night work session. Whether those people were Rockets or just dirty Silph workers who moonlight their illegal activity, they did not expect anyone to be able to find them."

Zahlia spoke for the first time since they had returned from the warehouse with Kadabra and Abra. "The second, thin strip on the card key has to signify that only people with that kind of card key can get into this second area of the company. I would wager that only very few people have this kind of card key."

"And yet someone was careless enough to drop one by the fountain," Kaylee said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I mean, come on… what a crappy Rocket. If he _was_ a Rocket." Zahlia got very quiet again, evidently done.

"What about you guys?" Gina asked. "Where did you get that second card key to work the elevator after we warped away with the first one?"

"We... kind of tore apart the floor looking for one," Beth said with a smile. "Lots of talk about how we shouldn't have been good citizens by returning that spare one Zahlia found on the lower floor."

"Hah, like we're good citizens anyway," Kaylee said with a grin.

"We finally got one from a locked desk drawer. Seven frantic kids, as it turns out, can manage to break past a rudimentary slide-lock." Beth exchanged her own grin with Kaylee.

"How did you know there was a key in the drawer?" Jason asked, frowning.

There was some laughter around the room. "There was a nice, flowery little sign: 'if you locked your card key in your office, Mary has extras! Just ask.' We found the desk with the name card that said 'Mary' and tried really hard not to completely trash her stuff while looking."

"Wwwwow," Gina said, her eyebrows rising. "I guess Mary isn't an undercover Rocket."

"I would wager not," Gav agreed with a small smile. "It took us a while to find it, though. We'd only barely started looking for you guys on other floors when you called me on your Dex."

"And we know the rest," Beth said. "About the elevator-warp and the warehouse."

"Not quite," Victoria said, frowning. She pointed one hand at the Initiates and one hand at the Nakawas. "I don't know what happened to your two groups when you branched off in the warehouse."

"Well…" Gina said. "We went off to one side, and this big guy followed us. Two others tried to follow him to help but he got all gung-ho and told them to go secure the perimeter instead."

"So there _were_ doors leading to the outside," Beth said, sighing with remorse on her face.

"How _cocky_," Kaylee growled. "Big guy figured he could handle three teens, huh?"

"Yeah," Gina said. "We taught him what's what."

"You sound like you're ninety-years old when you talk like that," Amaris interjected, feeling the need to point this out.

"What about you?" Beth asked Kaylee.

"We got caught by those two Rockets," Kaylee said. "The battle escalated really fast. Victoria came just as Blake's Farfetch'D was threatening the one guy—" Kaylee held a spoon from Orion's tea at Beth, who fell into her role of wide-eyed terror perfectly. "And then took the Pokéballs up to the top of the shelf. Oh man, that was wicked, and _Zahlia_, you were like something right out of a cop show! Where'd you learn to smooth talk like that?"

Gav was holding his hands in the air. "Wait wait wait. So let me get this straight. You guys went one way and got in a big Pokémon battle, then put the guy's Pokéballs up on top of a tall shelf so he couldn't get to them, and you guys went the other way and Gina got punched in the face—"

There was a small snort from the general direction of Gina, and the group turned as one entity to stare at her. She looked from face to face, her expression an incredible struggle for impassiveness. "What?" she asked, the edge of her mouth twitching upward ever so lightly.

Amaris could not help himself. "I'm sorry, but did the fact that you got punched in the face somehow become _amusing_ to you?"

"No," Gina said, but she was biting her lip and utterly failing to look convincing. "Just… the term. The way you say it. It's kind of…" at the looks she was getting she laughed and said, "_What?_ You have to admit, it sounds kind of... funny when you put it that way."

"Uhh…" Gav said, looking lost, but Victoria of all people was starting to struggle against a smile beside him. "You too?" he asked, the wry, confused smile spreading like a contagious thing to him next.

"It's… not _that_ funny," Victoria said.

"Hey Gina," Beth said, a questioning tone to her voice and a frown on her face. Gina gave Beth her full attention, looking concerned, but a second later Beth grinned and said, "punch in the _face!_"

Gina burst out laughing and as a result, so did many other members of their group. Now sincerely worried that this temporary insanity was airborne, Amaris searched around for someone who was still sane. Jason was smirking but not laughing yet, though Amaris figured out why a second later. "Hey," Jason said, and when people turned to him Jason lifted up a Pokéball slowly, pointed at it, and grinned toothily. Gina fell over from laughing too hard and, bizarrely, so did Orion.

Amaris gave up trying to understand. It was official; they were all crazy. Apparently being punched in the face and pointing at Pokéballs for no reason was the height of comedic brilliance, and Amaris would simply have to be the last lonely, mentally sound person left in the group.

And if he did smile, which he told himself he did not... it was only maybe a little bit.

* * *

Amaris wasn't sleeping again. He knew he should have realized that his temporary relief from insomnia wouldn't last, but it had been nice to actually go unconscious when the sun went down like the rest of the human race.

His sleeping bag provided no warmth in the surprisingly chilly summer night as he lay on his back, arms folded under his head. They'd been walking all day to get out of the immediate area surrounding Saffron, and he knew he should be exhausted. A few of the others were still awake as well, crowded around the fireplace and talking softly amongst themselves, but he had retired to bed early in the hopes that he could coax himself to sleep. Of course it was to no avail, and now even the late-nighters were yawning and stretching, muttering to one another that it was getting late. Amaris had caught snatches of their conversation, but it was mostly useless. The only talk of Silph was pure speculation, and so heavily under their verbal coding system that it was almost indecipherable. Plus, Orion's reaction in Silph had now become the elephant in the room. People periodically checked to see how he was feeling, but no one seemed to want to theorize out loud about what had caused his condition.

Gina was sound asleep a few feet away, curled on her side with her back pressed against a tree. She muttered something in her sleep and turned over, slightly tangled hair falling over her face as she shifted futilely, attempting to occupy the same space as the tree trunk behind her. After a few moments she reached a compromise with the unforgiving bark and rolled over on her stomach, lying still once more. Amaris envied how she could find the embrace of her dreamscape so easily. That was the sleep of someone unbothered by the kind of thoughts that had assailed him every night for the past month and a half.

He frowned. Had he really only been with this rag-tag bunch of vigilantes for just over two weeks? It felt like two years. Amaris wasn't particularly impressed with the way the mission had gone, though he had been told by no fewer than five people that this was out-of-the-norm for them. Evidently being chased from a building and relying on untrained teleporting Pokémon to save their hides was a special case. He was more than prepared to think up alternatives that would bring him closer to Team Rocket, or whoever was responsible for his uncle's death. For now he was willing to bite his tongue, but the incompetence of certain companions was still staggering.

Someone had put out the small camp fire. No doubt the girl with the brown hair and all the water Pokémon—Beth. He was getting better at the name-game.

Amaris pulled himself up to a sitting position and slid his arms around his knees. His eyes adjusted to the darkness very quickly; he'd been living in it just as often as the daylight recently, and it had done a number on his vision. Given that and his family history of bad vision, Amaris figured he'd need glasses before the year was out. He surveyed each of the sleeping figures with disinterest, catching a lock of hair or stretch of arm, vaguely noting the way the faint, almost nonexistent moonlight reflected off of a Pokéball here or there.

Amaris almost always felt like a vastly different person by the light of the moon than in the heat of the day. When it was light out he was what he always was—standoffish, ambitious, taking no crap from anyone and never letting anything stand in his way. At night time, however, when he actually allowed himself to dwell on things, he got to feeling this way. He would so much rather be sleeping than brooding, but the fact remained that shut-eye eluded him nine times out of ten.

He realized that he was staring at the pale blond head of Jason's older brother. Orion seemed nice enough—almost too nice. Amaris didn't usually trust people who were happy all the time around everyone regardless, but this guy seemed genuine. Jason was almost entirely different. Granted, he had the same upbeat nature and sickeningly constant smile, but he was a bit more short-tempered. He appeared to be the first person that Gina had picked up on the road to her Master journey—or, more like, the road to putting off her Master journey indefinitely.

Victoria was next down the line of sleepers. She and Gav were the only ones that Amaris felt he actually needed in his goal to get information on the Rockets, which was why he was disappointed by the prospect of traveling with the rest of the now-sleeping troop. Gav was respectable enough; he was resilient and intelligent, two things Amaris needed to see in order to regard someone highly, and he seemed to know what he was doing as far as the Rockets went. Victoria was just as sharp, and quite a great deal more biting, and the two made an excellent team. Although he wasn't keen on admitting it and certainly wouldn't parade it around vocally, he trusted them to lead him to where he needed to go.

Kaylee, on the other hand—he thought he might finally remember her name for good, but that could definitely prove to be a lie—she rubbed Amaris the wrong way. It wasn't even in the amusing way that Gina did, either. While he rather enjoyed seeing how quickly he could get Gina all fired up, Kaylee was just plain annoying. She was uppity and too confrontational for her own good. These traits didn't quite match up with her level-headed brother and seemed out of place while they were doing something as delicate as a stealth mission. Beth, Victoria's sister, was also rather obnoxious in her insistent friendliness and utter inability to read body language. He'd been using every technique he knew to project "leave me the hell alone" at her, but she still insisted on small talk when there was silence between them. He supposed that Victoria and Gav had merely milked their families of all of the desirable genes before their siblings had come along.

The Nakawa family—Zahlia, who was sleeping sitting up against a tree like a statue and Blake who was on his back near her, twitching constantly—he was alright with them. The two of them together had said no more than ten words to him since he'd met them, and that was always preferable. Amaris didn't even remember the name of the other girl that had been at the house in Viridian. He supposed it was to be expected; he'd gone almost his whole life regarding less than ten people on any sort of personal level. There had been his uncle, Gina, and a handful of researchers who worked at the Center. Now suddenly he was thrust into a social situation with nine new people.

He had gone full cycle around the group and returned to Gina, who was the only one sleeping somewhat nearby him. Her insistence on hovering around him, and providing oft-times unnecessary translation, was honestly a little surprising. He sometimes wondered why he and Gina had never gotten along very well in their childhood. He wasn't sure who had started the feelings of animosity. It simply seemed as if they had always been nagging each other and pushing one another's buttons. Now it was a force of habit, like breathing or being a teenager—something that couldn't be helped.

Yet she had deliberately gone out of her way to help him. At first Amaris had chalked it up to her affection for his eccentric uncle, or perhaps a form of ego-boost through a random good deed, but now it seemed like something else altogether. He'd never considered that Gina thought of him as someone to go out of her way for; he had certainly never looked at her that way. He tried to picture what he would be doing right this second if she hadn't stumbled upon him in the Viridian City Pokémon Center, and he came up blank. He hadn't had a plan at that point in his life. Hell, he would probably still be in that same booth seat, almost asleep while sitting up.

Unbidden, flashes of his uncle's face popped up in Amaris' mind as he allowed his thoughts to go idle. Gingerly closing his eyes, he tried to force them away. Later, they would comfort him and make him smile fondly at memories of the kind, quirky professor. Now they only caused him unnecessary turmoil. He wasn't ready to think about this yet.

The dire restlessness hit him all at once. Why was he sitting here, lying around and suffering from insomnia, when he could be using this time to get somewhere with his personal mission? Seriously suffering from second thoughts, he got to his feet and surveyed the pile of things he had unpacked from his bag. He always travelled light, and figured he could pack it all up quietly, leave a note for Gina, snag the card key, and be back at the building before sunup. Maybe he could take them by surprise, as they wouldn't be expecting anyone back so soon… he could follow those warp tiles and ambush one of the people in the hidden area of Silph, try to get information…

Stooping down to grab the ends of his sleeping bag, Amaris became suddenly aware that a pair of eyes was open among the sleepers. Jason was fiddling with a piece of his hair, twirling it between his fingers and pulling at it, staring blankly up at the sky as Amaris had been doing only ten minutes ago. Unsure if he'd been spotted or not, Amaris remained still for a moment before concluding that he hadn't been detected.

However, when he started to roll his sleeping bag up—

"Where ya off to?"

The query had been soft, somewhere between a murmur and a whisper, but loud enough so he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard it. No one else seemed to be awake, but there was some shifting and grunting around the circle while Amaris gauged his answer. He couldn't exactly run off this very second.

"I figured I'd go for a walk or something."

"Mind if I join you? I can't sleep either."

Slightly irked, he shrugged his shoulders before realizing that Jason probably couldn't see him. "Whatever."

Jason got up from his sleeping bag, stretching and making his way over to Amaris between the sleepers. Kaylee thrashed very suddenly and almost caught Jason in the leg, something that made Amaris almost want to laugh. By the time the two boys started off through the line of trees he wondered why he had agreed to this stupid walk in the first place. He did not want company right now, and couldn't figure out why he hadn't just cut him down with another scathing comment and gone walking on his own.

"It's been a weird few days, huh?" Jason was saying a little louder, now that they were away from the others.

Small talk. How Amaris loathed small talk. He simply blinked, unsure if that even required an answer or not. "Mmm."

Jason chuckled. Amaris wasn't sure why. "Kinda exciting, honestly. Just glad we got out okay, though."

"How's your brother?" Amaris asked, unsure where this conversation was headed—or where in the woods they themselves were headed, for that matter.

"He's… yeah, okay. Better, now." Now the tables had been turned and Jason was the one who wasn't giving a lot of detail in his answers. Amaris had assumed that Orion's brave-face for the rest of the group had been largely false, and that the older Fremont brother was still harboring some symptoms from the night at Silph. There was more silence, and finally Jason spoke up again.

"So, you think we're all nut jobs yet?"

Amaris couldn't help but smirk at that, and let out a short laugh. "Honestly, yes. I have no idea what your end game is, but if it involves many more scrapes with severe mauling or death, I'm not sure I'm game."

Jason chuckled beside him and shrugged. "More interesting than battling Nidoran in the woods, you have to admit." He seemed to be trying so hard to make a comfortable atmosphere for conversation, even though Amaris was pretty sure Gina had told him this was a lost cause. That made Amaris wonder exactly how much Gina had told Jason about him in general, and he vocalized this question in a less obvious way.

"So, does Gina talk about life in Pallet much?"

Jason paused for a fraction of a second, and Amaris had a feeling he had been about to mention the Research Center but had changed his mind. "All the time. Talks about you, mostly. Well, rants, a little." Jason shot him a grin and Amaris quirked an eyebrow, but he was undeniably amused. "You guys gave each other a pretty hard time as kids, huh? But I get the feeling she considers you a friend, in a way."

Now Amaris simply blinked at the boy, shocked. It was amazing that Gina and Jason had been traveling with each other for about a year now and he still couldn't discern Gina's affection from her disdain. _Oh well,_ Amaris thought as they reached the edge of trees right outside the camping circle again. It wasn't any of his business if Jason couldn't tell when his own friend liked someone or wished they would drop dead.

"Been nice," Jason said softly as he trudged away. "G'night."

Amaris didn't bother answering, shifting back into his sleeping bag as quietly as he could. Gina's foot had somehow made it close to where he would normally put his face, so he shifted slightly to allow himself extra space. Lying back down on his side, Amaris was suddenly struck by how odd that had been. Here we was, thinking that he'd never exchange more than a few necessary words with his traveling companions, and he'd had late night guy talk with one of them already. Frowning, Amaris wondered what other surprises would be in store for him that week.

Gina muttered something in her sleep and rolled over, taking her foot with her. She sighed very deeply, in a way that made Amaris instinctively yawn. Before he could even realize he was tired he had fallen into a dreamless sleep, the sound of nine others breathing softly around him.


	10. Zahlia? :Gina:

Chapter 10: Zahlia?

(Gina Ikeda)

The next morning Gina was woken up to a hand on her shoulder shaking her harshly awake. She jerked into consciousness with a surge of adrenaline, and before she could make sound a hand was clamped over her mouth. Gina's half-lidded eyes shot open and she found herself staring up into Zahlia's profile.

"Shh," Zahlia said quietly, letting her go. Gina blinked blearily, her nerves shot, and glanced around at the others. Gav and Victoria were up, crouched down by their sisters. Gav's eyes were staring out into the woods to the left, and Victoria was staring just as hard to the right. Orion was waking Jason up much in the same fashion that Zahlia just had to her, and she could see that Blake had let out his Pidgeotto.

"What's…?" Gina whispered, but Zahlia was moving away silently to stand by Blake. Gina looked around for Amaris, not sure where he was, and found him a few feet behind her. She waited for him to look at her, but he didn't. He, too, was staring out into the woods with quiet intensity. Gina felt like she had suddenly woke up with black-and-white vision and everyone was admiring a parade of purple, but then she heard it. There were people—or Pokémon—moving towards them through the underbrush.

Tingles shot up Gina's spine and at once she was poised and ready, her hand on Pidgeot's Pokéball. If this turned into some kind of fight-or-flight scenario, she wanted to be with the Pokémon she had who could do both. For a few tense seconds, no one did anything. Gina saw Amaris very slowly rolling up his sleeping bag, careful not to make any noise, and she started to do the same. Leaving half of their camping supplies behind in the event of trouble in the woods would be a bad thing. For about a minute people simply threw their things messily and quietly into their bags.

Finally Kaylee let out a slow breath, turned to Gav, and whispered, "I think it's just—"

At that moment the underbrush exploded.

Gina threw her hands up over her face as a flurry of dust, dirt and twigs came soaring at them from the East, and a blast of heat scorched at her back. She fell forward painfully on her forearms and crawled across the ground, coughing and calling to Pidgeot. Pidgeot was there in a second, flapping his enormous wings against the fire and the debris, screeching. Gina could see flashes of red light deploying all around her in the clearing, hazy and indistinct through the dusty air. "Amaris!" she hissed, peering for him near the tree they had been standing next to. He had been much closer to the fire than she'd been, and her chest constricted with worry.

"I'm here," he said from behind one of Pidgeot's wings, and she reached out and grabbed hold of his hand, yanking him across the ground toward her. He was covered in dirt, apparently from a tuck-and-roll, and the two trainers dashed to the center of the camp clearing where screeching and growling met their ears.

"Stand down!" a booming male voice demanded, and Gina felt herself cringe against her will. The voice was very authoritative and intimidating, and all she could think of was getting her friends and getting the hell out of here. Her eyes tore around in search of Jason, and she found him near Orion, Bulbasaur fighting off the advances of a Muk with very little success. Gina turned to Pidgeot, who was flapping his wings at a host of Voltorb who were advancing upon them. Gina felt her nerves jolt at the sight of the electric Pokémon; she knew her Flying-type, with his disadvantage, could not possibly take on that many.

Charmander was out in a second, and he seemed to clue in on what was happening right away. Blasts of fire erupted from his body and engulfed some of the Voltorb, but a second later Gina realized why that might have been a bad idea.

"Get down!" she shouted, hitting the floor just as three exploded up above, sending waves of energy and smoke out around them. One good thing resulted from the blasts, though; almost everyone was knocked down, including their assailants. Gina scrambled to her feet at once, as did the others, their younger bodies serving them much quicker than many of their adult foes. Gina saw a man with a rose-colored birthmark, or maybe a burn, that twisted across his face and dipped down into his shirt. His neck was thick and rippling with a pulse of angry muscles as he struggled to gain his footing. Beside him was a man with black hair, shot through with silver, and his black slacks made her wonder why in the world he was out here with this strike team. There was a woman a little ways away with crazy, intensely frizzy brown hair in minuscule curls. Gina struggled very hard to file their appearances into her memory in the few seconds she had to take them in.

In those few seconds, she got to witness firsthand something that served to shatter a huge chunk of her current worldview. The man with the salt-and-pepper hair got shakily to his feet, and right as Gina was prepared to charge off, his eyes widened in something that could only be recognition. For one horrible second she thought he was looking at her, and that for whatever reason she had been identified and would be linked back to Pallet and her mother. Then she realized he was looking over her shoulder. She glanced back just in time to see Zahlia's face drain of what little color it had.

"_Zahlia?_" the man called, his voice full of shock and what sounded like angry confusion. For a horrible second everyone froze.

Before the other assailants could regroup, though, Gav was moving them forward. "Split!" he ordered, and Gina's heart sank. If they split up they would run the risk of losing each other, but if they stayed there would most likely be backup before they could overpower the people who were here right now. Gav and Kaylee headed off through one area of trees, Geodude throwing a man who tried to follow them. Beth and Victoria shot off in a different angle, and Jason went with Orion. Zahlia and Blake, for an awful moment, did not move at all, and Gina was frozen in place, not knowing if they were actually going to leave or not. Then Zahlia streaked away from them, Blake following behind her. Amaris' Pidgeot was out now as well, and with only a slight glance at each other, they jumped on their Pokémon and took to the skies.

Many new things surprised Gina the second Pidgeot took off in a flurry of dust and dirt. First, Pidgeot seemed to automatically take to having a passenger, in spite of the fact that they had never tried this before. Gina had been under the impression that she'd have to train Pidgeot to do something like this, and she honestly had expected to be clinging to her Pokémon's underbelly, shrieking in terror, in under five seconds.

Second, Gina had never before figured she would be afraid of heights. All the time spent up on the roof of her mother's two-story house, evidently, did not make her a fan of flying.

Third, one of their pursuers also had a flying Pokémon. It was an enormous Venomoth, which at first Gina thought was insane, and then bizarrely hilarious. The sight of someone clinging to the back of a giant purple moth quickly lost its amusement factor, though, as it let loose a spew of powder towards them. Not sure what it was, and not wanting to find out, Gina clung tight to Pidgeot's back as he executed some fancy flying to avoid the stuff. Her stomach filled with ice as they fell into a short dive and Gina fought not to screw her eyes shut against the whipping wind and the growing levels of fear rising in her.

She spotted Amaris nearby and watched with shock as his Pidgeot also took down into a dive, but managed to clip the Venomoth's underside with its outstretched wing. The moth careened and the man riding it was almost thrown off. Bolstered, Gina squeezed her arms around Pidgeot's neck, hoping she wasn't inadvertently strangling her Pokémon, and hissed in his ear, "Gust!"

Pidgeot hesitated for a fraction of a second, probably nervous about uprooting his trainer, but obeyed with a great flapping of his wings. Gina quickly stopped worrying about holding on too tight, squeezing her knees against Pidgeot's flank and burying her face in his brown feathers, breathing in quick, shallow gasps. When the attack was done the Venomoth was blown a good distance away, and she managed to cough out, "the others!" to Amaris.

Amaris and his Pidgeot swooped down towards Gina and hers, and the pairs took off across the skies, skimming low over the treetops and looking for their friends. Gina knew the moth-man would right himself eventually and be after them again, and they were limited on time.

Gina wondered if Amaris would hear her if she shouted. She gave it a shot: "We might need to use Kadabra!" she practically screamed at him. Even so he looked at her and frowned, holding his hand to his ear. They had to land if they were going to get anywhere, or find anyone. The trees were too thick to look down through.

A burst of fire scorched up under her Pidgeot's belly just then, and Pidgeot shrieked and took off upward, away from the attack. Gina held on tight, not ready for that climb in altitude, and screwed her eyes shut against the harsh wind. She worried silently for her Pokémon's health while they flew, and it was only when she felt her ears pop from pressure that it occurred to her they might be maybe just a little high up.

Gina shouldn't have opened her eyes. She regretted it the second she did, and the breath was stolen from her body as she stared down at impossibly tiny little treetops below. Her scrambled brain noted that the forest looked like broccoli, and in that moment she could think of nothing to do.

"Are you okay?" she called to Pidgeot, wanting to stroke the feathers at his plume but not trusting herself to relinquish her vice-like grip around her Pokémon. She spotted Amaris and felt a surge of relief that she was not alone at this crazy height. The two of them hovered next to each other, and now that they weren't whipping forward with wind in their ears, he spoke.

"What did you say earlier?" he shouted.

"We'll need Kadabra! When we find the others."

"He can't get us all the way to the house," Amaris shouted back, looking doubtful. "But I can probably get us to a location that's at least closer to where we need—"

What happened next filtered into Gina's brain in flashes, like snapshots scattering towards her in a breeze. There was the flash of red light, and adrenaline burst into her veins as she realized that, hundreds of feet above the ground, Amaris' Pidgeot had been recalled to its Pokéball. She saw the Venomoth below him, registered the man pointing something up at them that looked like a remote control. It was pointed at her and Gina shouted, "Wing Attack!" and held on tight as Pidgeot slammed into the Venomoth and sent it careening. The man fell. She did not look to see if his moth went to catch him. The last snapshot that came to her was Amaris, falling through the air.

Gina slammed her knees into Pidgeot's side, shouting, "get him!" and leaned hard over her Pokémon's back. Pidgeot fell into an focused dive, faster than she could have imagined possible, and she kept her eyes open even in the whipping wind, tears streaming from the burn. Pidgeot drew level with Amaris maybe five stories above the treetops, and Gina reached out to him as he reached out to her. Pidgeot was the one with the brains, ducking down below his falling form and spreading his wings to slow them. Amaris and Gina collided hard on Pidgeot's back, his momentum not cut very much at all, and pain blossomed in her side and shoulder as she grabbed at him and struggled not to topple right over the other side of her Pokémon. She almost ripped out a patch of feathers in the struggle to secure them, and didn't even realize Pidgeot was flying them lower and lower over the treetops.

"Are you—" she gasped out, her hand clutching his arm in a white-knuckled grip and her other arm grasping Pidgeot's shoulder bone that moved up and down with his wing. Amaris was facing the wrong way to be riding, wincing in pain as she was, but he managed half a nod just as they dipped down below the treeline and came to a rolling stop on the ground.

It was quiet except for the roaring in Gina's ears and the rush of her breath tearing through her throat. She tumbled off Pidgeot and landed hard on her side, coughing and trying to muffle the sound with the crook of her dirty elbow. The wind had been knocked out of her and she felt dizzy, but she was on her feet in a second and scrambling back to Pidgeot and Amaris. Amaris slid down with more grace than she had, but held his knee as he headed over to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, breathing hard as he crouched low to the ground over his leg.

"I'm fine. You hurt yourself," she said, watching as Pidgeot shook his feathers out and looked around with sharp, suspicious amber eyes. "Can you walk?" she asked, each word feeling like it was being ripped from her with great effort.

"I… don't know," he said. Then he was scrabbling at his Pokémon belt, his fingers flying over the chrome spheres there, counting. He grabbed one and tried to hit the button, but nothing happened.

"What… is that Pidgeot's?" Gina asked, holding her side.

"It is," Amaris said, jamming the button again and frowning deeply. "Nothing's happening." He pried at the edges and Gina put her hands around his to stop him.

"There's something wrong," she said. "Don't force it, if Pidgeot's in there, you might hurt it." Amaris twitched like he wanted to keep trying, but after a faltering second he stopped and minimized the ball, putting it back at his side. "What happened up there?" she asked.

"I don't know. I sure didn't recall my Pokémon just to enjoy a nice free-fall, if that's what you mean." Amaris cringed on the last word of his sentence, his hand clutching into a fist as he grabbed the denim over his knee.

"I know," she said, wincing along with Amaris. "The man up there was pointing something at us, a remote or something." Gina's insides twisted with worry for both Amaris and his Pokémon, but there was nothing they could do here.

"We have to go," she finally said, getting up and cringing at just how much her ribs were hurting right now. She walked gingerly over to Pidgeot and dragged her backpack over to her from where it had fallen off her during her roll off of her Pokémon. She was stunned that it was still here, to be honest. Her sleeping roll had been lost somewhere during the flight or the battles, but she could care less. She dragged out a Super Potion and started to spray Pidgeot's chest, where the feathers were singed. They probably only had a few minutes of quiet, as they weren't too far away from where the others had split off in different directions.

While she healed her Pokémon, trying to keep the hammering fear in her heart under control, Gina replayed the scene in the clearing, and Zahlia's face as she had been addressed directly by one of the men. Gina felt confusion blossom in her, and a heat of something deeply unpleasant score down her neck. It felt bizarrely somewhere between embarrassment and anger. What had that been?

Her Dex buzzed in her pocket and Gina jumped. She could hear Amaris' doing the same thing behind her, and she scrambled to pull it out.

_O and I lost our chasers. where r u? need to find others and teleport out of here — J_

Gina checked her GPS for coordinates and sent them back to Jason at once, along with a message that said, _amaris hurt his leg. i havent seen the others yet. — Gi_

Gina shoved the empty potion bottle she had dropped on the ground back into her backpack and returned to Amaris. It looked like he still had his bedroll and the backpack he'd started out with, but his things were an abject mess. He was getting to his feet slowly, shakily testing out his leg, but Gina saw the way it trembled and didn't seem to want to support his weight.

"Come on," Gina said, grabbing his arm and slinging it over her shoulder. It was a mark of the near-death experience; the normal banter and snide commentary was completely absent between them. "Lean against a tree, or something. Jason and Orion are on their way."

"So we're going to have to use Abra and Kadabra again," Amaris asked, part of his sentence coming out through gritted teeth.

"At this point it looks like there's no choice," Gina said, stopping once they were near a tree and letting Amaris go so he could lean back against it. She dialed up Gav, then Kaylee, but no one answered. "This is bad."

Jason and Orion stumbled into their clearing just then, and after Gina was done having her mini-heart attack from their sudden arrival, she rushed over to them.

"Are you both okay?" she asked, her eyes tearing through the path they had just come from, checking for followers.

"Fine," Orion said, and his voice made Gina stop and double-take. Orion's face was set in a stoic, unreadable expression, but before she could work up proper concern for him he had turned back to Jason.

"Listen, you three should go. I'll stay here with the psychic Pokémon and round up the others."

"Um, no," Jason said, frowning at Orion. "I'm—"

"Your leg has been hurting you the entire time we've been running," Orion cut in. There was a snappish edge to his tone that Gina had never heard before. "No offense, but you're not exactly fit for much right now."

There was a moment of intensely uncomfortable silence, and Gina broke it finally, still painfully aware that they were running out of time to get everyone out.

"Listen, how about Kadabra takes Amaris and Jason to a secure spot, then returns here. I'll stay and help you. Alright?"

"I'd really rather you—" Orion began, giving Gina something that was very close to a glare.

"Please," she said, putting her hands up in front of her. "I can walk just fine. And it makes more sense to have two people gathering the others than just one."

Orion stared at her for a second, and then finally that out of character darkness seemed to ebb from his features. What replaced it was exhaustion and sadness. "Yes, alright. You two, get going," he said in the direction of Jason and Amaris, but with no real feeling behind the command.

Gina cast Orion one last, worried look, then gave all the backpacks to Jason and Amaris. "I figure it's better to get our stuff out of here now," she explained.

"Yeah, okay," Jason said, his eyes still trained on his brother with a confused, conflicted expression, like he wasn't sure if he should be angry or not. "Gina, be careful, okay?"

"Yeah," she answered, pulling him into a quick hug. "Call me if anything happens."

"Likewise."

She turned to Amaris and did a little half-step forward before the awkwardness stopped her. She had never tried to make a friendly gesture to him before, and now probably wasn't the best time to try. She figured she should say something to him, too, but wasn't sure what that should be. It didn't matter, at any rate, since he had released his Kadabra and seemed ready to leave.

"Be careful," she finally said, taking a few steps back from the boys to give them clearance.

"Yes, mom," Amaris said, and Gina couldn't help smiling at the snide tone in his voice. How twisted the world had become; hearing her rival make fun of her made her feel better. Amaris and Jason vanished with Kadabra, and Gina was alone with Orion.

She turned back to him, noticing that he was staring out into the woods, the remote, tired expression still on his face. Only now did she realize what was most likely bothering him: Zahlia. It was no secret that he was probably the closest person to her, besides Blake, and not knowing what was happening with this recent development was probably driving him nuts.

"I'll try to call some of the others," Gina said, dialing up Blake next. "Should we stay here and wait for them?"

"Unless we have to go to them, yeah," Orion said in a deadpan voice. Kadabra returned, and with him was Jason's Abra. The Dex rang four times and went to voicemail, and Gina cursed under her breath. Beth was next, and this time she picked up.

"Gina—are you okay?" It sounded like Beth was running.

"We're fine, where are you? We're going to teleport you out of here."

"Oh, good, but not yet—we see a battle up ahead, not sure who—who it is, but we've got to help first, okay? I'll call you, okay?"

Gina silently admired that she was able to get these sentences out while crashing through what sounded like every tree and bush in the world. "Yeah, call me. Bye."

Orion glanced at Gina in question, and she explained. Her Dex rang in her hand, and, surprised, she glanced down at the screen. It was not Beth, though, but Blake, returning her call. "Hey," she said into the Dex, holding it close to her ear and crouching low to the ground. Blake tended to have a soft, indistinct voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm guessing we're close to you, since we saw your Pidgeot land in the woods."

"Oh, good, yeah, we're close by then. Come meet us. Is—" Gina couldn't prevent that moment of hesitation, "—Zahlia with you?"

Now it was Blake's turn to hesitate. "… Yeah. We'll see you soon, bye."

Gina hung up and glanced over at Orion, who obviously had heard her half of the conversation. His expression was somewhere between relieved and reserved, and Gina took a second to close her eyes and take a slow, deep breath. They would figure out how that man knew Zahlia later. They would patch up their banged-up friends later. They would find a way to free Amaris' Pokémon from its Pokéball later. They would deal with their 99 problems once they were safe.

Gina opened her eyes, let out another slow breath, and pushed the last of the extraneous thoughts away. They still had four more friends to find, and it was time to focus.


	11. A Simple Question :Kaylee:

Chapter 11: A Simple Question

(Kaylee Harrison)

Kaylee was sorely regretting her decision to run off with Gav. At first it had been fine, as the plan was to split up the group of pursuers as well, and in doing so lose them and get the hell out of here. It was so far so good, or as good as running for their lives from people who had tracked them out of Saffron could be. Kaylee's blood was thundering in her veins as she tried to calculate where they would have to go to hook up with the others.

That was when two people crashed into the path perpendicular to them, and for a second Kaylee thought Victoria and Beth had found them. The reason she was confused had to do with the blue Pokémon that accompanied these people, with the white round belly and the hypnotic swirl design. Then she realized that these people were definitely not teenagers, or female for that matter, and the Pokémon before them did not really resemble Beth's Poliwhirl at all. It seemed much angrier, and it was a good deal bigger to boot.

She regretted her decision to team up with Gav since every single one of the Pokémon they were now up against were Water-types.

They had no choice. Running was no longer an option, as the flying purple star was blocking their path any way they tried to go. The Golduck as well was keeping them boxed in on the left, whereas the Poliwrath was on the right. The two men stood dead ahead, and Kaylee would have preferred to take their chances charging at them, if it hadn't been for the fact that all three Water-types were a good deal faster than two teenagers.

Gav and she exchanged one desperate, hopeless look before releasing Geodude, Cubone and the two Growlithes. The men before them seemed confused for a moment, then unbearably amused and smug. The battle started in earnest then, and Kaylee knew at once how this would go.

The yelping and howling of her Pokémon sent sympathy pain shooting through Kaylee's limbs as she shouted orders to them, trying to get them to establish a path to flee through. It was no use. It was four on three, but with the type advantage and their opponents sporting an evolved team, they were only postponing the inevitable.

Steam rose from one Growlithe in a huge plume that carried to the sky. _Smoke signals,_ Kaylee thought, her train of thought derailed and desperate. _Someone please, see us._

Gav and Geodude were faring so much worse. Water and dirt became mud, clinging heavily to the Rock-type's form, and she could see the corrosive stuff sneaking deeper and deeper. She knew that Geodudes didn't have blood or organs, but the water was acting on it as surely as a toxin to a human, sinking down through receptive pores and leaking into the highway of life that would take it closer and closer to vital areas within. Cubone was suffering as well, rolling through the mud to try to escape the attacks but getting slower and slower by the minute.

Gav never, ever fought with Onix. Onix was too old, too recognizable for them to ever want to use him in anything but the most dire situations. Now he recalled Geodude, who had fainted with a crash against the ground, and she knew when he met her eyes that this was one of those "no choice" situations. She held her breath as Gav freed the Pokéball from his belt, her thoughts flying to Jerry Armstrong in Pewter, and in that moment she had never felt so small and useless. _Who do we think we are?_ shot through her head as her Growlithe howled in pain. _We're just kids._

Just as one of her Growlithe swooned on his feet and hit the ground in a muddy splash, two more people exploded out of the bushes to their right. Kaylee's heart sank even as adrenaline surged through her, and she recalled both her Pokémon in a haze of red light, ready to just jump on Onix and tear off through the underbrush away from here. Onix, however, was not out yet. Gav was just holding the Pokéball, staring in disbelief at something. Kaylee turned to look, the sound of vines slapping over rubbery flesh reaching her ears before the scene unfolded before her.

An explosion of water met water in midair, and in a second Kaylee was drenched. What she saw through her waterlogged bangs, though, was the Golduck sliding through the mud and bashing up against a tree trunk. Tiny leaves followed its progress and crashed hard against the duck's skin.

Finally Kaylee understood. She located Victoria and Beth through the flurry of vines, leaves and water and dragged Gav over to the two sisters. She had never been more happy to see any two people in her life.

Bellsprout sent its razor leaves over to the Poliwrath next, who charged at the small plant. Bellsprout went to dodge, but was tackled brutally to the ground. Oddish came to the rescue, slapping vines over Poliwrath before wrapping it up in them. In response Bellsprout sent out a big cloud of powdery violet dust, and Poliwrath shuddered just enough to dislodge it from Bellsprout. Oddish lifted Poliwrath up into the air and kept it captive, its small body swaying as Poliwrath struggled and thrashed, looking like a bizarre coconut held aloft in a tree.

Meanwhile Beth's Water-types clashed with the Golduck and Starmie, and were joined a second later by Bellsprout. Another cloud of powder proved to be Stun Spore, and Beth's Staryu took to the sky and spun furiously, wafting the powder faster. None of the enemies escaped being hit by it—not even the humans. As the two men crashed to the ground on rigid, unresponsive limbs, the four trainers immediately started recalling their teams.

When Victoria went to recall Bellsprout, though, it whipped vines up to grab onto a tree branch and lifted itself out of the path of red light. Kaylee stared at it, confused, a second before she realized what must be happening.

"Oh, crap," she said, unable to keep the smile from coming to her face even in light of their very dire situation. "It's going to evolve."

"_Now?_" was the first word out of Victoria's mouth. A second later though she ran to the bottom of the tree and held her arms out for Bellsprout. "Come on, buddy, we have to go."

Bellsprout lowered itself down and let itself be carried, and the four trainers started booking it through the woods. Beth got on the phone with someone, and Kaylee soon ascertained that it was Gina.

"Where are you? Give your coordinates to Gav and we'll find you," Beth said, shoving her phone to Gav. Gav held it to his ear with one hand and fiddled with his PDA with the other, and it struck Kaylee that this image of her brother pretty much summed up his whole existence. Gather information—mess with technology—run for his life.

They stumbled upon Orion and Gina quickly, and Kaylee let out a huge sigh of relief at seeing them intact and unharmed. She turned to see Victoria put Bellsprout down and take many huge steps backwards and away from it. It was getting bigger by the minute. Victoria tore her eyes away from her Pokémon and glanced from face to face in the group. "I know we're on a tight schedule here, but… I need to wait until it's done. I don't know what will happen if we try to teleport in the middle of this."

Gina had started talking over the end of her sentence. "It shouldn't be more than a few more minutes… Gav and Kaylee can go first."

Kaylee nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it." The words almost made her laugh. The idea of her telling Victoria, casually, that they had nothing to be concerned over was humorous given the circumstance. She turned tentatively to Orion. "Are you coming?"

Orion met her eyes briefly, taking a while to register her words. Then he nodded. "You four were the last ones we were waiting for. The others are already in a safe spot."

Kaylee frowned, Zahlia springing to her mind. Fire had seemed to lace under her limbs the second that man had identified the Nakawa sister in that clearing, but she hadn't had time to cook up insane conspiracy and betrayal theories. Kaylee knew there was a logical explanation for it, and that she and Gav had just become paranoid over the years. Tempted though she was to offer to stay behind, the thought of her near-fainted Growlithes changed Kaylee's mind.

"We're not too useful anymore," she said to Gav, reluctantly. "We _should_ go first."

Gav hesitated, and she saw his eyes snap over to Victoria, lingering. Victoria looked up at him and rolled her eyes. A second later, though, she lifted them back up to him in a small smile. "Go," she said. Kadabra approached them, and they did.

Jason jumped when they appeared about two feet from him. "Holy crap!" he said, stumbling back and wincing on his bad ankle. "Amaris, is your Kadabra doing that on purpose?"

"Possibly," Amaris said, his tones clipped. Kaylee thought he was just in his perpetual bad mood until she saw his rolled-up jeans and the swelling that had started up around his knee.

"Oh god," she said, staring at the injury. "I, uh, don't know a lot about medicine, but that looks—"

"Then I'd appreciate you stopping right now," Amaris cut in.

Kaylee let him have that one, and turned away. The guy probably had a broken leg, after all. Just then Kaylee caught sight of Zahlia and Blake, all the way on the other end of the little clearing they were in. Kaylee stopped to debate in her head about the questions she wanted to ask, but ultimately her impulse won out.

"What happened back there?" she asked, getting up and strolling over to Zahlia. Blake looked up at his sister at once and Zahlia's eyes did not move from the ground. A chill travelled down Kaylee's spine when she didn't say anything. "Hello? I asked you a question."

"Kay, this isn't the time," Gav said from behind her. Kaylee clenched her teeth, a weird little shiver starting in the exact center of her body. She ignored her brother and took another step forward.

"_Zahlia_," she tried again, trying to inject feeling into that word. "What is going on?"

"Kaylee—" Gav started again, but he was cut off.

"No, you know what? I'm curious too." It was Jason, and Kaylee saw him limp into her peripheral vision. "How did that guy who wanted to kill us know you?"

Gav was over now, too, trying to edge his way between Jason, Kaylee and Zahlia. "When we get back to the cottage, guys, please."

"What?" Jason asked, turning to stare at Gav. "It's a simple question. It should be a simple answer."

"Lay off my sister," Blake said, standing and speaking up at last. His dark eyes bore into Jason's, and Kaylee became suddenly aware that this could easily turn into a fight.

"What are you trying to _hide_?" Jason asked, and from his place by a tree Amaris groaned loudly, knocking the back of his head against the trunk and rolling his eyes.

Probably for the better, Victoria and Beth arrived just then. Bellsprout was absent, and Kaylee figured it was in its Pokéball. "No incident," Victoria reported at once, her eyes scanning everyone's faces. "Gina and Orion are on their way."

"Good," Gav said, sounding harried and impatient. He clicked away on his PDA and waited a second while something loaded. "It looks like we teleported over the corner of Celadon City… we're now to the south of it. It's not much of a walk to get back on track towards Viridian Forest."

"Okay," Gina said, but her eyes were traveling between Amaris and Jason. "But we've got injuries…"

"I just shouldn't run on my leg," Jason said, his eyes still trained stormily on Zahlia. "I'm fine."

"I'm not," Amaris said bluntly.

Gav frowned, his expression going thoughtful and troubled, and Kaylee cast one last glance at the Nakawa siblings before she went over to stand next to her brother. She noticed that Orion was pointedly not looking at Zahlia, or at anyone, for that matter.

"Do you think the psychic types can handle taking us back to the forest?" Beth asked uncertainly, squatting down so she could look at Abra. Abra reached out and Beth's face split into a smile and she put her hand into its paw.

"Probably, if we use potions on them in between hops," Amaris said, his voice sounding strained again. Gina moved over to him, sort of hovering, and he shot a glare at her. She rolled her eyes, but remained.

"Okay," Gav said. "I don't see what other choice we have. I'd use Onix, but let's try the option that doesn't leave a huge trail for people to follow. Jason, Amaris, take it away."

* * *

Edith's reaction when she opened the door to find the entire group outside her cottage, some of their number leaning heavily on the others, was kind of priceless. Kaylee didn't think eyes could get that big. "What are you doing back so soon?" she asked, her eyes darting over everyone a mile a minute.

"Gonna let us in?" Kaylee asked, an automatic grin coming to her face. There was no real feeling behind the expression, but it felt normal to poke fun at Edith's freeze-reaction to unexpected events.

"Oh, yeah," she said, practically flying back from the door and watching as the group shuffled inside. Amaris was led to and deposited on the couch by Gina, but Jason managed to hide his limp fairly well. Edith noticed it, though, and a second later Jason was forced onto the other side of the couch. Edith began to examine both boys' legs, and Gina returned to her pastime of awkward hovering.

While this was happening Gav and Victoria went into a two-person huddle near the door, frowns deeply etched on both of their faces. Blake had started to head down the hall, but stopped when he saw that his sister was standing stock-still near the wall, staring straight ahead like a soldier. After a little back-and-forth sway of indecision, he remained by her side. Victoria and Gav finished their huddle and walked over to the Nakawas. Kaylee cast a glance at Orion and saw that he was finally looking at Zahlia. His expression was mostly unreadable, but she thought she could see some kind of hope in there, too.

"We need to know how that man knew you," Gav said quietly. Kaylee moved in closer to listen, but to her shock Gav put his hand out for her to stop, not even looking over his shoulder at her. Anger flared in Kaylee at being kept out of the loop, and for the first time ever her eyes travelled to Victoria and she felt a pang of jealousy. When had she been so utterly replaced at her brother's side? Had it been gradual and she'd simply been blind to it?

The anger morphed at once to confusion and exhaustion. Kaylee shook her head, struggling not to feel this irrational envy. Victoria had done so much for the two of them, as had Beth. Kaylee knew it was just their many recent near-scrapes that had worn her down into this person with ugly feelings she didn't want to have. With great effort she took a few steps back and watched from a distance, refusing to stop listening to this discussion.

"He's an associate of my family," Zahlia said quietly. It had taken her a little while to respond. Kaylee noticed that Blake was watching Zahlia with just as much intensity as the rest of them; it occurred to her only now that this was probably news to him as well.

"Did you know he worked at Silph?" Gav asked, his line of questioning going in a direction Kaylee could not predict.

"Yes," Zahlia said. This group was starting to gather an audience now, as Orion and Beth had moved over to stand near where Kaylee was. Even Edith had stopped talking in rapid medical jargon to Amaris and Jason. Kaylee cast a glance to the sofa; the people there were indeed, focused on Zahlia as well. Edith was not looking over, still feeling around Amaris' swollen knee, but the stiffness of her posture told Kaylee she was listening hard.

_Why didn't you tell us someone you knew worked there?_ would have been Kaylee's next question, but it proved how differently she and Gav thought. His next one was, "Did you really get the card key from near the fountain, or did you get it from that man?"

"I got it from him," Zahila said.

Victoria asked the next one. "You asked him for it?"

"No," Zahlia clarified. "I took it from his coat pocket."

"While we were together on the Silph tour?" Gav asked, and Kaylee could hear the confusion in his voice.

"I went back later on. I asked to meet with him to talk about my family, and catch up. I took it from his jacket while it was on the back of his chair."

There was silence now, and the mood of the room shifted to one of intense confusion and bewilderment. Kaylee exchanged a look with Beth, but neither of them seemed to have insight. Their brows hung low over their eyes, and Kaylee's brain struggled to think up reasons behind Zahlia's strange behavior.

"Did you know in advance about the extra rooms in Silph?" Gav asked. Kaylee heard Edith make a sound of slight alarm from the couch, and Jason started muttering to her, no doubt explaining a little about their mission.

"No," Zahlia said at once, and with a pang of regret and complex frustration, Kaylee discovered that she did not believe her.

Victoria was up again. "The real question is, why the hell would you keep this from us?" Kaylee felt any residual anger she had felt towards Victoria vanish as she finally asked the question that had been burning at Kaylee for the past hour.

Zahlia didn't seem to know how to answer it at first. She had been staring straight ahead the whole time, only moving her eyes to fix them on Gav's or Victoria's face, depending on who was questioning her. Kaylee thought she looked like a straight-backed warrior, trained to never show weakness on the battlefield. The memory of the way she had spoken to the man in the warehouse flooded back to her at once.

Finally Zahlia spoke. "I didn't want to bring my family into it. I just wanted to get us inside. So I decided to try to use my contact to do so."

"Why didn't you want us to know?" Victoria asked, shifting her weight to her other leg so her hip cocked out as she crossed her arms. Kaylee thought the outline of her back right now was the perfect silhouette of an angry mother. "This is just an associate of your dad's. We wouldn't have incriminated your entire family along with an acquaintance."

"She did you all a favor," Blake said. Kaylee had almost forgotten he was in the room. She glanced over at him and saw that the tentative, confused look he had worn earlier was utterly gone, replaced by a blank yet scowling expression that reminded Kaylee of his sister. "And duh she wouldn't want our family to get involved in this."

"Unless you want to give us information too, stay out of it," Victoria said to Blake, her words harsh but her tone even. Blake glared hard at her, but Zahlia put her hand on his shoulder. Kaylee was a little surprised to see Blake angrily shrug her off.

"I'd like it if you would tell us what you know about your father's associate," Gav said, his voice calm. Kaylee knew that kind of calm, though. He always spoke that way when he was trying to hide how deeply upset he truly was about something. "This information could have been very valuable to us going in. Honestly I would have made you and Blake stay back at the Center that night had I known there was even an outside chance of someone recognizing you."

"I had assumed you would feel that way," Zahlia said, her voice still flat.

"So you lied so you'd have an opportunity to come in with us?" Victoria asked, sounding skeptical.

"It doesn't matter," Gav said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "We have a whole new set of problems, here. Zahlia has been identified, but we were all seen today. Edith, not to put you on the spot, but you're going to have to decide soon if you're still willing to take the risk of harboring us—"

"We sound like fugitives," Beth said, at the same time Edith said, "of course I want you to stay."

Kaylee said to Beth, "we kind of _are_ fugitives," at the same time Gina said, "Edith, seriously, think about it a while before you—"

Jason cut her off with, "we'll make sure nothing bad happens here." While he was speaking Amaris called something over to Gav and his voice was swallowed by the other babble entirely.

"Stop, stop," Victoria said, putting her hands up in her classic T formation. "One at a freaking time."

Amaris repeated himself. "Gav, as soon as you can, I need to talk to you about one of my Pokémon." Gav nodded to Amaris, his expression turning to one of wary worry, but as her brother opened his mouth to ask, Amaris plowed onward. "And regarding the incident in the woods, I doubt that we'd be instantly recognizable one-on-one. We're very conspicuous in a large group, though."

"You don't think they'd know who we are on sight?" Gina asked, frowning.

"Not after only one frantic scuffle in the woods, no. We were all together for under a minute before we scattered." He paused to wince, and Edith continued checking his leg. He looked at her with a mild annoyance that seemed to be more reflex than anything. "After that we split up, and even then we were still fighting or fleeing the whole time. They probably have a rudimentary description of us, but not a great one."

"Solid," Jason said. At some point tiredness had hit him, as his head was back against the couch and his eyes were closed.

"For now, we're safe," Beth said, cross-legged on the floor. "That's what counts. We can take our time and go over the information we have, keep an eye on the news and see if any of this was reported. I somehow doubt it will be…"

"You and me both," Victoria said. "And if they don't report it, we'll know for sure that they're covering up the break-in because they don't want an investigation."

"I think it's safe to establish that, yes, they are hiding something and yes, it is probably illegal," Amaris said. Kaylee deemed him the King of Sarcasm in her head, and imagined a little crown and robe for him. Exhaustion had begun to addle her brain as well.

"If we do go out together again in the future, we'll need to have way better disguises," Beth said quietly. The moment she said it, people started looking around the room at one another, sizing each other up. Victoria was the first one to chuckle, shaking her head and sighing.

"Well, I've always wondered what it would be like to be a brunette."


	12. Whackjob :Orion:

Chapter 12: Whack-job

(Orion Fremont)

Orion never got to see his mother. He wasn't sure why this thought kept popping into the forefront of his mind, with everything else that had happened, but it did. He had been nervous about seeing her again for the first time in so long, and hadn't known what he would say. In many ways, he had not been looking forward to it at all. Now that the chance was taken from him, though, he direly wished he had been able to do it while they had been in Saffron.

Gav worked on Amaris' Pokéball for days. Edith proclaimed Jason's ankle to be twisted, but nothing worse, and deemed Amaris' knee badly sprained. He was to stay off it as much as possible, ice it down, elevate it, and walk using crutches made from planks of wood leftover from the Pokémon pen. Amaris called the crutches "the stupidest things he'd ever laid eyes on" and took to hiding out in his room rather than move around by means of them.

Orion became very good at figuring out when he was being looked at. When someone's eyes strayed in his direction he blinked away the stern, thoughtful look he always wore, replacing it instead with his normal calm expression.

He had not been to talk to Zahlia yet. Most of the group was icing her out these days, but he had seen Gina slip into her room the other night. What they had spoken about, he could not say. If anything he figured Gina had kept it light, extending a tentative gesture of friendship and leaving it at that. Gina had met Orion's eyes when she emerged from Zahlia's room later, and the unspoken, awkward message that passed between them was, _you should go talk to her_, and, _I know_.

Jason's Abra had evolved. It had been good to see Jason so excited about something, and he had dragged Gina outside by her arm immediately to challenge her team to a battle. Gina had been protesting the whole way, a little wide-eyed, insisting that she was not eager at all to see her team one-hit-KO'd by Confusion, but Jason had convinced her that Charmander would be eager for the challenge. Orion had watched from the window, the smile on his face feeling mostly genuine.

Perhaps the best thing about the days of downtime was the fact that Orion was able to shake off the strange feeling that had seized him in the forest when his friends had been running from their assailants. Gina had asked him if he'd been acting so strangely merely because he was uncertain about Zahlia's involvement, and he had let her keep thinking that. The truth was something more complex—Orion wasn't even sure he could explain it himself.

In the forest he had not felt afraid, or nervous, or any of that sick dread that arose from not knowing what to do. The only thing he had felt was anger—it more bordered on aggression, in earnest. He had kept his head on enough to realize that fighting every single one of the adults that had found them would be a very bad idea, but it was a close thing. The only things that registered to him were the fact that someone was threatening him and his friends, and the fact that he was not punishing them for it and this was no good. It was fortunate that the general consensus had been to only send Jason and Amaris away, but to leave Gina behind to help him with the others. Orion was not sure what he would have done had she left, too. The chances were pretty good that he would have found himself in a vicious fight with whoever next came across his path.

What had sobered him up in the end was a quick moment during their teleportation-assisted journey home. While his blood boiled and his mind seethed with barely-contained rage, a niggling feeling of discomfort had arisen somewhere inside him. It had taken a while to pinpoint the cause, but once he figured it out he had been shamed and cowed back to normal. His father's face had flashed brightly through his mind, and then broken furniture and their crying, furious mother on the other side of the room, makeup running down her face. Anger problems ran in the family, he supposed. He counted himself bleakly lucky that his had taken seventeen years to emerge.

He felt almost completely back to normal by the time Victoria called a group meeting five days after their return to Edith's house. Gav seemed to be too engrossed in his attempts to free Amaris' Pidgeot to be of much help, but he still provided a few side-comments, his eyes trained constantly on his work.

"We finished backing up the files, finally," Victoria said, her sentence coming out in a sigh. "Thanks Gina, Jason, Amaris. Here are your Dexes back." She handed them out in a stack and there was a little bit of shuffling to determine which one was which based on tell-tale scratches and chips in the paint. "The discs are not labelled in any sort of way yet, and we didn't bother sorting the data at all. We'll need help when it comes to poring through all this stuff, but since there's only one computer, we'll be ordering a few disc readers for your Dexes. Gav can sort the files from his PDA, and I'll take the computer."

"Wait," Kaylee said, speaking up from her place on the floor and frowning. "Beth and I won't be able to help, then."

"You can use my Dex and disc-reader to sort through the files," Gina offered at once. "I promise you most of that's going to look like gibberish to me."

"Beth can share mine with me," Jason offered. "Though I seriously want to look through those documents I scanned in about the Masterball. I don't care much about the other ones."

Amaris made no such offer to let anyone use his Dex, which was to be expected what with his personal reasons for wanting to learn as much as possible about any leads. Victoria nodded to Jason and Gina in an almost grateful way before moving on to the next topic.

"Thanks. Next up, we need to talk more about disguises. I don't really think it's necessary for us to all dye our hair and don colored contacts or anything, but…" Victoria paused to make a strange face, and Orion puzzled over what was bothering her until she finished. "… As hokey as this sounds, wigs might be a good idea." She met Amaris' eyes and nodded to him. "Particularly for us two."

"Poor redheads," Gina said, though she was grinning. "You could pass as a blonde," she said to Amaris, putting her hands up as if she was framing him for a photo shoot. He in turn shot her back a withering, unamused look.

"Should I put an order in for wigs, then?" Beth asked, her grin poorly disguised. Edith and she shared a smile and Orion could just see the cogs going in their minds as they cooked up which colors would work on their various friends.

"I'll trust your judgment," Victoria said, with an edge to her voice that asked "please don't make me look like an idiot."

Gav chose this moment to speak up. "Regarding the disguises, though, don't worry too much about trying to get them done quickly. We're going to take as long as we need to heal up from our various injuries before we do any more field work." Gav seemed to be done talking, since he stuck a tiny screwdriver between his teeth and flipped the tightly-sealed Pokéball over. Amaris watched him with fascination bordering on slight apprehension before he too spoke up.

"I'm not going to need the full month to heal," he asserted. "My knee will be fine in two weeks."

"Not from where I'm standing," Edith mentioned, sounding very much like a schoolmarm or a mother. Amaris rolled his eyes and Gina elbowed him in the arm.

"Still probably going to need that whole month to sort through these files," Victoria said, rubbing her temples. "We have a lot of information to look at, and no one knows if all of it or maybe even none of it will lead to something relevant."

Beth cleared her throat and Victoria nodded to her to take the floor. "I've been keeping tabs on the news agencies, even the smaller ones, and no one ran a story about Silph at all in the past few days. Well, no one except the _Sun-Tribune_, but that's just some reaction piece about Vincent Warren and the enhancement drugs. So, it looks like we have a cover-up on our hands in earnest."

"I don't know whether or not I should feel happy about that," Kaylee remarked glumly. "At least we're not wanted fugitives."

The general feeling that settled over their small group was, "yet."

The meeting wrapped up quickly after that, and though Orion had initially entertained plans involving Edith's tea and a long nap, the day had other plans. A hand closed gently on his wrist and he knew who it was before he turned around. "Orion," Zahlia said quietly, her tone as indecipherable as ever. Orion winced but managed not to flinch away from her touch. He looked at her over his shoulder, considered offering her his fake, "everything's perfectly fine" smile, and ultimately decided against it. They just regarded one another for a moment while the others filed away to their respective engagements. "Can we go outside for a minute?"

Orion had no solid reason for refusing beyond the classic "I'm tired," or "I have a headache," and as such he found himself outside on the single bench with Zahlia a few moments later. The uncomfortable silence was something he had been expecting, but it didn't make it any more pleasant to endure. After a few moments of sitting side-by-side and watching the neurotic Pidgeys, she sighed.

"Things have been understandably weird since Silph, and I don't blame you. I just don't want them to always be like this."

"They—" Orion began at once, not even sure where he was going with that. He stopped, regrouped, and tried again. "I don't want that, either. It's been…"

"Yeah," she finished, the word more of a sigh. He certainly did not have to tell her how it had been the past few days.

"I guess I just," he tried again, struggling for words as always. Creepy fevers, crazy dreams and strange afflictions or no, some things never changed, and Orion fought very hard not to put his foot in his mouth. "I guess I just don't know why all the secrecy is needed with you. You guys pretty much know all of the Fremont family dirty laundry. I mean, yeah, it makes me feel weird, but I trust you guys not to look at me or Jason based on how much of a nutjob our dad is. And, you know I'd never do that to you or Blake."

"You least of all… I know," Zahlia said gently. For a minute Orion thought that was all she was going to say, but after a moment she went on. "I don't… know where I stand with my family. I don't know where I _want_ to stand with them. I do know that this is something I have to deal with on my own, though, and I don't want the rest of you involved."

Orion had so many things to say to that he wasn't sure where to start first. He started off small. "I don't know why your father's associate is so intertwined with your blood family," Orion said haltingly. "Unless he's actually your uncle or something."

Zahlia smiled slightly. "No, not secretly my uncle."

Orion wasn't quite ready to let this go, though. "You know," he said, getting closer to the heart of the matter now, "this sounds a lot more serious than you wanting to just keep your family uninvolved when it comes to this project of Gav's." Little signs here and there were starting to fall into place in Orion's head now, and he couldn't help but wish that the others were out here earning Zahlia's confidences as well. It felt uncomfortable to know he was the only one who was hearing this—whatever this was.

"It's—" Zahlia started, but Orion cut her off.

"Please don't say 'complicated.' In case you haven't noticed, that sub-header applies to everything in our lives right now."

"I know," Zahlia said, the frustration and sadness finally leaking into her tone though her face still remained unreadable. Orion thought there might be a slight crease to her brow, though, and wondered if he would ever be able to tell her emotional state based on external cues. "When I figure out what to do, I'll take care of my situation. And if I need help, you all will be the first people I ask. I hope you can take that for face-value, for now."

"What's the big _deal_?" Orion finally asked, surprising himself a little with the fervor that suddenly seized him. "What is so bad that you can't even tell me what it is?"

Zahlia was getting up now, though, and for a moment Orion was seized with anger that she would really be walking away from him mid-conversation. That wasn't what she was doing, as it turned out—she was staring at the Pidgey congregation with intense, hard eyes, and Orion turned quickly to look at them too. He only got to see a flash of the strange scene before his eyes, though. The second he turned his head to look at the birds, they scattered as one and took flight. Suddenly grilling Zahlia for more information was the last thing he felt like doing as the indignation and frustration leaked steadily out of him. Zahlia turned to look at him, her face still the same but her eyes portraying her fear. It took him a second to realize through the bewilderment that she didn't look afraid of him. She looked afraid for him.

"I need to go lay down," Orion said, standing up and crossing to the door without a backwards glance. There were the sounds of footsteps following him for a few seconds, but then they stopped. He could picture the way she looked as she watched him go.

Once in his room Orion closed the door behind him and rested his palms and forehead against it, waiting for the dizzy spell and the feelings of nausea and sickness. When they didn't come he carefully took a few steps back and clenched and unclenched his fists. His palms were tingling. Orion crossed to his desk and fumbled in the drawer, his movements jerky and erratic, and he messed up any semblance of organization inside the desk before he located his sketch book. He flipped past the happier pictures, ones that portrayed Meowth rolling around on her back or Rattata with cheeks full of PokéChow. Towards the end of the book the pages showed writing rather than pictures, though the occasional drawing would pepper the narrative. Orion stopped at the most recent picture: Edith's Rattata lying on its back in the dirt, eyes looking fearfully to the left.

Orion sat down on the floor with his book and made a new entry, below which he sketched a sloppy, jagged image. When he was done the page was filled with Pidgeys, all crouched low to the ground in fear, their white feathers pressed flat against the dirt.

* * *

Orion did not pursue the subject of Zahlia's family at all over the next few days. He kept to himself while trying not to seem like he was keeping to himself. This involved a lot of zoning out in the living room or the kitchen, a glass of water or a cup of tea in hand. He knew if he holed himself up in his room that Jason or Gina would be knocking on his door at all hours to check on him, and he wasn't sure he could come up with anything to say just now.

When Gav finally freed Pidgeot from its Pokéball, everyone was distracted for a while with relief and praise for his handiwork. Amaris actually said thank you, and for a brief second it looked like he had worn a smile rather than a smirk. It was gone quickly though, and Amaris took to checking Pidgeot over for any injuries or ailments. Beyond looking a little shaken up and confused, though, the Pokémon was unscathed.

Gav confiscated the Pokéball, though, and it became the source of more tinkering. Orion was in a position to overhear a lot these days, since his quiet presence on a couch or against a wall was often glossed over by those deeply involved in what they were doing.

"Gina and Amaris said that one of the men pointed something at them that looked like a remote control," Gav said to Victoria. He was poking at the tiny glass windows in the Pokéball with a pair of tweezers, moving the loose pieces to the left and right. "And after that, Pidgeot was recalled to the Pokéball."

"Right," she said, also leaning over Gav's shoulder to peer at the ball. Orion thought it was probably more out of habit than anything, as he had no reason to believe Victoria was particularly tech-savvy. "So that device, whatever it is, triggered the Pokéball into recalling Pidgeot remotely."

"That's not all, if it locked Pidgeot in here," Gav said darkly, a frown coming to his face. "Pokéballs aren't supposed to _have_ locking mechanisms. Even if they did develop the capacity for a Pokéball to lock, there would need to be some way to unlock it. Having to systematically break apart a Pokéball in pieces like I did makes no sense. This device is not something Silph is planning to market."

"If they _are_ planning to market it, the one they used on Pidgeot could be a prototype with flaws," Victoria suggested, and the two of them dissolved into more talk as Gav picked up the dissected Pokéball and carried it down the hall.

Orion yawned and set his cup down on the table, then leaned back against the sofa. He didn't think he'd fallen asleep until a voice very nearby woke him up.

"You—I'm lost."

Orion blinked groggily and glanced out the window, which had been left slightly ajar to let in some fresh air. Jason's and Edith's silhouettes passed by at a slow, even pace, and curious, Orion sat up a bit more on the sofa and watched as they walked to the corner of the house and stopped. From his angle he could see Jason's profile and a sliver of Edith's face, though she was obscured by the side of the house for the most part. He could no longer really hear what they were saying, but Jason looked a little baffled by something Edith was evidently telling him. He said something in return as if trying to guess the answer to a game show topic, and a second later he smiled. He still looked a little baffled, though, until Edith crossed into Orion's line of sight just long enough to place a quick kiss on Jason's cheek. Then she vanished around the corner of the house, leaving his younger brother standing stock still with a truly priceless expression on his face. Orion quickly looked away, but Jason must have glanced around to see if anyone had seen that, because a second later the sound of running footsteps came around the side of the house. Jason was in the living room in a second, glancing around the room to determine whether or not it was clear. Orion tried to look curious and passive, but his slowly-spreading smile gave him away. Jason walloped him on the arm.

"You were spying on me!"

"Sorry, Romeo, but you were in my line of sight," Orion said with a laugh as Jason tried unsuccessfully to give him a noogie. "I take it that went well," he ventured, and Jason's enormous grin caused him to laugh even more.

"Wow, what fun shenanigans am I missing out here?" Gina asked as she emerged from the hallway, a hairbrush hanging by itself out of the middle of her hair. Orion raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled. "I've given up on brushing and am now wearing it as an accessory. What's up?"

Jason seemed to have a furious internal struggle for a few seconds, but ultimately the ability to keep something from his brother and best friend was not something he possessed. "So, Edith and I are dating now. I think."

Orion laughed and clapped a hand over his mouth quickly, not meaning to be so loud right next to the open window. He slid the window shut and coughed. "What do you mean you _think_ you're dating?"

"She was being really cryptic and girl-like and I was completely lost, but she definitely likes me!" Jason hadn't been this brightly-lit since the capture of his Abra all those months ago. "Oh, man, I don't know what I did, but I better keep it up."

"I don't know what you did either," Orion said with a jaw-splitting grin still in place. "Maybe I should warn Edith about you."

"You do, you die!" Jason asserted, looking ready to launch into another play-scuffle with his brother. Orion grabbed a pillow to fend him off, but he caught sight of Gina's strange expression out of the corner of his eye and stopped. The end result was Jason throwing a pillow into his face. Orion grabbed it and shoved it aside, pushing Jason off-balance, but turned back to Gina quickly. She had recovered, an impressed smile now in place instead of her other, unreadable look.

"Wow, Jason. Looks like I need to find something else to tease you about now."

"Damn straight!" he said, standing up and positively beaming between Orion and Gina. "Hey, I'm gonna go see if I can find her, she kinda ran off after she—" he turned slightly pink around the ears at this and Gina started to cackle.

"Oh, scratch that—looks like I can still tease you about this just fine. Jason's got a giiirlfriend!"

"What are you, five?" Jason asked, going to poke Gina in the stomach, and she jumped out of the way and removed the hairbrush from her hair as a weapon, laughing. They scuffled for a bit and Jason headed past her down the hall for the back door. "Catch you guys later!"

Gina and Orion watched him go, wearing matching smiles. When the sound of the back door swinging shut filled the room, though, they turned back to look at one another with slightly more apprehensive expressions.

"You, uh, good?" Orion asked, ever the master of eloquence and caring.

"What? Of course! Just… surprised, I guess? No offense to Jason, I mean, of course not like that. I guess I just didn't think it would actually happen." Gina's long string of an explanation was cut suddenly short and she hitched the smile back to her face. "Wow, so, did this happen literally five minutes ago, or something?"

Orion hesitated for just the smallest of moments before he smiled back and nodded. "Yup, hot off the presses. Though I'm guessing right now Beth's relationship-dar is tingling and the rest of the house will know in about another five minutes."

"The rest of the house will know what?" Kaylee asked as Beth and she came out from the hallway.

Orion laughed and shrugged, and Gina and he spent the next ten minutes getting interrogated by the slyly-grinning girls and alternating between saying "I don't know" and "ask Jason." Orion cast Gina a few more concerned glances here and there, but she seemed to have recovered from whatever had been throwing her off earlier. Orion entertained a few theories in his head, but ultimately there was no way to tell if they were correct, and he had a feeling that asking Gina directly would result in mortifying embarrassment for all parties involved. In the end he decided to stay out of it. It wasn't like he really had the time to be looking for more to pile onto his plate, after all. Beth and Kaylee eventually gave up on trying to get information out of them and instead went on a hunt for Jason. Orion silently hoped that they wouldn't interrupt a moment between the new sorta-couple… or hoped that if they did, it would at least be a hilarious story to retell later.

* * *

The next month and then some was spent in caffeine-assisted power reading. Orion got involved in the file-sifting whenever one of the other appointed readers started going cross-eyed, and Gina, Edith, Zahlia and Blake wound up taking care of most of the cooking, cleaning and housework that would normally have been divided up between them. Blake found his calling about a week in and became the designated "go to sleep, whack-jobs" messenger, dropping his catchphrase left and right when the clock neared midnight.

Orion's files for the most part were utter gibberish. Luckily the illegal workings of the Silph p.m. crew, as they had taken to calling it, were largely organized. Orion could navigate through folders and sub-folders easily enough, but that didn't help him decipher what the heck was inside those folders, or even what the names meant. Some of his favorites were "Abra files FINAL USE THIS ONE REALLY THIS TIME I MEAN IT," "Wilhelm Thomas Frances (WTF)," and one that looked like a complete gibberish vomit of numbers and letters that Gav identified as an employee's temporary internet files.

Ultimately, though, he didn't see anything that leapt out at him as saying "here are our top-secret evil plans that I sincerely hope no one steals," and it looked like the others were striking out just as badly. The only good thing about this hiatus from actually getting things done was that Amaris' knee had healed in full, the group had gradually started to treat Zahlia almost normally again, and Jason and Edith had more time to spend together. The girls all pretty much concurred that the shy way they would cast each other smiles and hold hands under the table was just about the most adorable thing in the world. Well, Beth and Kaylee felt that way, anyway. Victoria seemed to be immune to such things, and Zahlia was a little more reserved with her opinion about Jason and Edith, but Orion did see her smiling softly at Jason as he watched Edith leave the room to deal with dinner, a sappy smile on his face. Gina poked fun at Jason when it seemed like he wouldn't be too badly flustered by it, but for the most part she left it alone. Orion noticed that she and Jason were spending less and less time together, but that was to be expected, and he got the feeling Gina was okay with that. It was the impression she gave off, anyway.

It was a week past their initial one-month deadline when Gav and Kaylee truly hit paydirt with their findings. Gav had been flipping quietly through page after page on the small screen of his PDA, no doubt wrecking his eyes, when suddenly he stood up from the table. Orion looked up at him, frowning, as did the others. Gav stared down at the screen, sat down, then stood up again. Victoria cleared her throat and Gav lifted a finger to ask for another minute, then scrolled through something else. Everyone was staring at him.

"'AD 42 started up normally at 0215. Processor running normally, desired effect achieved. … Put all prior AD into storage, use AD 42 as template for construction of AD 43 and 44… for use in…' here we go, Lavender, Viridian… looks like they put coordinates in here." Gav leaned over and wrote down a few longitude and latitude marks on a sheet of paper beside him, and the others waited patiently until he was done.

"Sooo…" Jason said, lifting his eyebrows at Gav. "That sounds really neat and all, but what does any of that mean?"

"I don't know what the AD is, but it turns out that almost 85% of the files I had stored on my PDA were about it. There were a number of failed attempts at this AD, and the failed ones were dismantled for the most part… so, it's a device of some sort."

"Does it say what it does?" Beth asked.

"Let me look," Gav said, digging through more files with his stylus.

Kaylee, meanwhile, shouted "ah-hah!" from her side of the table, and everyone turned to look at her now. "Found some files on the Masterball."

"Oh, can I look?" Jason asked, abandoning his Dex and peering over Kaylee's shoulder.

Gav was muttering to himself again, shaking his head. "No, this makes no sense… these files are from almost ten years ago. I thought this data was more recent… so they've had functional ADs for quite some time. Whatever they are."

"They _are_ trying to replicate Masterball tech," Kaylee said, nodding at her screen. "My researcher was a lot clearer with her notes. No shorthand here, really… except MB, but, well, it's obvious that stands for Masterball."

"Here we go—I found some research notes from when they were proposing what this AD would be, and what it would do… I think this was the funding proposal to get money budgeted to them for it."

"Oh, snap, Silph has no records of the original designs for the—"

"Time," Victoria said. "As fascinating as this all is, it's getting confusing. Let's just organize our thoughts about what we've got and give a better summary in a while."

"Aw," Beth said, looking crestfallen. "I want to know more now." She smiled to show it was a joke and hovered eagerly near the Harrison siblings and Jason as they read and scribbled notes. Orion could definitely not concentrate on his "WTF" files now, and waited with the others for the briefing.

Kaylee was done first, which was unsurprising given how much information Gav seemed to have to pore over. Gav put his PDA aside and looked up at his sister when she cleared her throat, then pressed his palms into his eyes briefly and shook his head. Yup, he was definitely ruining his eyes if looking up from the table was enough to give him head rush.

"Okay, so it sounds like Silph for some reason doesn't have the original plans for the Masterball anymore. They've been piecing clues together about how to recreate it from what little data they have left, but I guess someone decided to get rid of those old files." Kaylee turned to Jason. "I think the one you snapped a photo of is still in its prototype phase."

"Aw, okay. Good thing I didn't steal it, then," Jason reasoned. Gina gave him a "you wouldn't" look and Jason grinned at her and shrugged. "I would have probably taken it if you and Amaris hadn't been there to judge me, to be honest."

Kaylee snorted at that but shrugged. "Can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. Anyway, so they're trying to recreate the Masterball formula, but interestingly enough there are no files anywhere in here that suggest they'd market it to the public."

"Maybe they just haven't gotten that far in the process yet," Orion suggested. "Can't plan to market something that you haven't even perfected yet."

"Oh, they would be totally obsessed with marketing figures even if it wasn't ready yet," Beth corrected. "Especially when it comes to something like this. They wouldn't be making ads yet, or anything, but they would be estimating the figures they would make off of it, determining which season would be the best to release word about it to the public…"

"There's a particular season that would be better to announce a Masterball in?" Gina asked incredulously. "Really?"

"Really," Beth said with a nod. "They'd also have to pay close attention to their competitors, to make sure they could announce it strategically to garner more attention from the media to their corporation. Not that Silph has any really _serious_ competitors, but that's because they're so good at staying ahead of the game."

"Okay," Victoria said, drumming her fingers on the tabletop. "So there are no estimates or projected dates of completion and announcement anywhere in those files?"

Kaylee shook her head. "None that I can see, no. I'll keep looking, but I'm doubtful. I think that would have been in the report summary I just read."

"That doesn't sound good," Gav said, still with his eyes trapped behind his hands. "If they aren't planning to market it, it's possible they're going to use the rebuilt Masterballs for something else. … Sorry, headache, let me be more specific—"

Amaris finished the thought for him, though. "They could have a private backer. If this is the case, said backer would probably not want something like this released to the public, and it's not a stretch to think that one of the clauses in that contract would forbid Silph from taking these plans and making them public."

"Jeez," Jason said, shaking his head. "I can think of a hundred different reasons a private group would want a monopoly on Masterballs."

Gav lowered his hands finally, and he and Kaylee exchanged a look. Everyone knew they had Rocket on the brain now.

"I'll keep looking into this, but that's a good theory for now," Kaylee said with a shrug. Gav nodded and went back to his notes.

It wound up being after dinner when Gav finally had his head on straight enough to make sense of his pages and pages of notes and make his report. Everyone was crouched low over spaghetti, eating with silent gusto, and no one had tried to pry Gav's PDA out of his fingers as he fiddled with it under the table, a forkful of spaghetti poised in the air near his face. Orion took to counting the minutes that the fork of food would hover like that before it occurred to Gav to take a bite. The longest period of time had been ten minutes, and Orion was sure his food was ice cold by now.

"Alright," Gav said, shaking his head and frowning at his PDA. "Here's what I can gather so far about the AD. I finally was able to find a few files about what it did, but keep in mind that these proposals for research are about fifteen years old. It's possible that I haven't found key documents that detail important changes made to the AD since that time."

"Yes, yes, enough disclaiming and more explaining," Kaylee said, polishing off the last of her plate and leaning forward to listen. Around the table forks clinked down onto plates and chairs scraped a little closer.

"The AD seems like it's some sort of device geared towards making Pokémon behave erratically. The lab notes went over a lot of really bizarre side-effects… heightened aggression, and on the flip-side sudden submissiveness… uncontrolled movement of limbs, reactions that suggest pain, maybe caused by sonic waves… if any of you want to see the full list let me know, but I warn you right now, some of the testing gets a little gruesome." Edith sighed softly from her end of the table, her expression distressed, and Orion saw Jason reach for her hand. Gav's expression was somber as he went on. "Anyway, the device ultimately is meant to affect the performance and behavior of Pokémon. Towards the end of the lab study—which is a whopping 1,300 pages long—it sounds like they were able to isolate those side-effects, and make AD devices that each bring about a specific reaction."

"So," Victoria said, frowning, "one device would make a Pokémon obey, while another device would make it riled up and attack? And such?"

"From what I can gather, yes. There's some holes in the information, probably stuff I didn't get a chance to read yet, but they were able to perfect a few of these devices and… I'm not sure, it's guesswork now, but I wouldn't be surprised if they tested them out in the wild."

"Does it say where?" Orion asked, his brain going to conspiracy theories and his mind's eye full of strangely submissive Pokémon, going belly-up for no reason.

"No, I haven't figured that out yet. All I know is what I read to you earlier, that they were planning on putting one near Lavender and one near Viridian. I haven't punched the coordinates in yet to pinpoint where, but I'll do that soon."

"Lavender," Kaylee and Victoria said in perfect unison. They looked at one another, and Victoria said, "the Pokémon Tower," while Kaylee said, "all those crazy ghosts."

"What? Oh!" Gina said, taking a while to remember the story they had all been told about the Harrisons and Larsons and their close scrape with unusually angry Gastlies. "Oh man! You think?" she asked.

"… If I might inquire?" Amaris asked, his words polite but his tone annoyed. Gina turned to him to fill him in on the story quietly, and Orion frowned deeply, trying to piece the clues together. If there was an AD device near Viridian, which could be conceivably in the Viridian Forest, it would make sense that the Pokémon around here would occasionally display truly weird characteristics. It was probably just a coincidence, then, that he had only heard of them going submissive two times, both of them in front of him. Orion started to feel marginally better about the freakish things that had been happening around him, but then Victoria made the next connection.

"Wait. Gav, you said some of the AD devices were malfunctioning, so they put them in storage. I think I remember you saying that. Right?"

"Right, back in the—oh." Gav and Victoria were the first two to look at Orion, and soon the others put two and two together and also glanced over at him. So much for feeling better.

"The, ah… thing in the warehouse," he said, clearing his throat. "That's a possibility. Beth's… Beth's Staryu was up by the ceiling, spinning around in circles. I remember seeing that."

"Right," Victoria said. "My Bellsprout sure behaved like it couldn't control its body, as well. And Orion's Meowth was in pain."

No one mentioned the fact that, of all the humans present there, only one of them had dropped to the ground howling in pain and had socked a friend in the jaw. The silence at the table was unbearable for a moment, the unknown and confusing implications hanging over them. Stifled, Orion got up to get a glass of water, and while he was doing that Gav moved on.

"I think the chance of that thing being an AD is very high. Who knows if the outward design changed since then, but at least we have a rudimentary idea of what it looks like if we ever come across one again."

"Right," Victoria said, but Kaylee was sighing and making a face.

"AD is so boring. We should think of a new nickname for it."

"Couldn't hurt to create more code words, yeah," Beth said, putting her chin in her hand and puzzling over it.

"The crazy-maker?"

"The metronome? Since it generates random responses?"

"But they fixed it so it doesn't do that anymore, so it's not really random…"

"How about the aggro device?" Beth cut in, smiling. "That way we can keep the acronym."

Victoria chuckled, and Kaylee clapped, laughing. "I like that. The aggro device it is."

Gina started ticking things off on her fingers. "Man… Masterball tech, aggro devices… remote controls that force Pokémon into their Pokéballs…"

"Okay, we need a code word for that thing, too," Kaylee said.

"Jus call it the returner, for heaven's sake," Amaris said, evidently unable to handle this line of conversation.

"Nice! I like that." Kaylee grinned at Amaris and he shook his head.

Orion sat back down at the table with his water, wanting nothing more in the world than to leave but knowing that he would be followed by concerned friends if he excused himself so obviously. He gave one-word answers when spoken to and for the most part tried to look like he was just deep in thought, pondering the same things everyone else was. While the table discussed the possible correlations between the devices they had just learned about, Orion tried not to think about what the implications were for him. Only Gav, Victoria and Beth had been in that room with him, so it was possible that if all the others had been there, someone else would have had an adverse reaction, too. Maybe Jason would have as well; maybe it ran in the family. Maybe there was a random percent of the population who were particularly sensitive to sound, like people who could hear dog whistles. The maybes chased themselves around in his head until Blake looked wearily up at the clock, cleared his throat, and said, "go to sleep, whack jobs."


	13. Spinning Plates :Zahlia:

Chapter 13: Spinning Plates

(Zahlia Nakawa)

"We have to start somewhere."

Zahlia, for the life of her, could not figure out how to circumvent this disaster. Gav and Victoria had been skirting around the delicate edge of this idea for days, and Zahlia had taken to ghosting around behind them, ready to subtly steer their discussion in a different direction if it looked like they would brainstorm about the subject too much. It was hard, since Victoria still did not trust her, but so far no one had noticed that Zahlia would bring up Masterballs, the Returner device, Saffron City, Silph and any other number of subjects so often.

She couldn't afford to have them dwell on Lavender Town—and now they had stumbled straight into that topic. It had happened as quickly as a car wreck, and the ramifications might be just as severe.

"Lavender is as good a place as any to start," Victoria agreed with Gav, shrugging over their map of Kanto, which was punched full of push-pins. "It's too soon to go back to Silph, or anywhere near Saffron."

Orion said, "agreed," and Zahlia tried to determine if it would be too suspicious of her to disagree. Saffron was pretty obviously a poor choice for their next intel-gathering mission.

"There's another device supposedly located in Viridian," she mentioned. "It's closer."

"True," Gina said, but Beth brought up another point before Zahlia could work this angle.

"In Lavender we can follow up about what happened with that receptionist, though," she said, her tone a little somber. It was an odd sound to hear in her voice.

Zahlia couldn't blame her. The story about what had happened to the Pokémon Tower receptionist had been truly chilling, and it only served to resolve Zahlia even further—there was no way her friends were going to Lavender Town if she could help it. The only problem was how she was going to manage this without giving away too much information in the process.

"I always wondered about her," Kaylee said, her expression darkening. "L-Town has my vote."

There were other murmurs and nods, and Victoria asked, "consensus?" to a show of hands. It was unanimous, save for Zahlia, Blake and Amaris, who usually didn't vote.

As the group dispersed, Zahlia developed a new tactic. She followed Gav and Victoria until they noticed her, and in an unspoken look they determined they needed to talk in private. It was a seamless thing, and only Blake seemed to notice, watching them with his dark, serious eyes as they vanished into Gav's room.

"Trouble?" Gav asked as soon as the door was closed, turning around to face Zahlia. Zahlia cast a quick glance at Victoria, assessing her calculating expression.

"Viridian is the better choice," Zahlia explained calmly. "Going back to Lavender would be too dangerous, especially with your history and the police report you filed there."

"I see," Victoria said cooly, cocking her hip and tilting her head to the side. Her assessing gaze continued, unblinking, and she let the silence hang for a while. "That's your only reason for suggesting Viridian?"

Zahlia never understood why the rest of the people in Edith's safe house seemed to peg Victoria as being unreadable and guarded. To Zahlia she was an open book. Body language, tone of voice, word choice, the slightest muscle twitch in the face—Zahlia had been taught how to break it all down in an almost mathematical way, and she never had trouble reading the redhead girl or any of the other people she now shared this house with. Orion was the only exception; Zahlia had never been able to get an accurate read on him. Gav and Victoria were easy, though. Gav was hiding his analytical mind behind a remote, calm expression right now, and was probably crunching the benefits versus risks between Viridian and Lavender. Victoria, however, knew that Zahlia was hiding something additional, and would not stop fishing for the truth until she had it, or a suitable substitute. In a calculated gamble, Zahlia settled for a version of the real story.

"I don't want any of you to be anywhere near Lavender. More of Dr. Azakawa's associates are in the area, and now that we know he works with the bad part of Silph, there's no telling whether or not they will be on the lookout for you there."

"Why didn't you just say that during the meeting?" Victoria asked, cutting to the quick as always. Zahlia kept her expression passive.

"In spite of everything I still like to keep as much of my personal life to myself as possible. I'm warning you about Lavender Town because you are thinking about going there, and the information is relevant to you."

"We have a sort of open-book policy here, in case you hadn't noticed," Victoria shot back just as quickly, opting to play interrogation hardball, probably an attempt to get Zahlia to slip and say more.

"I realize that," Zahlia said. "I don't want any of us to take more of a risk than is necessary. Viridian is the better choice."

Like clockwork, Gav stepped in. Zahlia had long since determined when Gav chose to make his opinion known, and it was always during times like this when there was an ungainly stalemate between two or more other parties. "Thanks for the heads up, Zahlia," he began, and her heart sank a little. That was the beginning of the "Dear John" letter for her plan. "Lavender is our strongest lead, though. Plus, we have disguises now and we're not planning on traveling in a big mob through the town anymore. Or ever again, really." Before Zahlia could figure out a new approach, Gav finished his thought. "Though now that you mention the associates in the area, I think it's best if you and Blake stay back."

Zahlia's normally controlled expression slipped. It was just the raising of her eyebrows, but to a Nakawa that was tantamount to a dramatic gasp and swoon. "Oh?" she asked, leaving it at that.

"Yes. You two are the ones that would be the most readily recognizable, since Azakawa figured out who you were in the forest outside Silph. We can't run the risk of anyone else figuring out who you two are." Gav had read her brief slip correctly, and put on a quick, apologetic smile. "Sorry. Hope you understand."

Zahlia had truly come up against a rock and a hard place now, and the slight frown that had settled over her features was interpreted correctly by Victoria, who seemed to soften around the edges just a little. "Sweet that you care," she said, with a bit of a grumble in her voice, but it was with a grudging sort of reassurance that she said the next part. "Don't burn too much wood over it. We'll be fine and we'll be in touch."

There was really only one option left, and Zahlia resolved herself to it as she nodded curtly, playing the part of the disappointed, left-out girl who had lost her argument. She strove for graceful defeat as she nodded and headed to the door. "Please do so, yes. I'd like to hear from you often."

* * *

"So, tell me again what's going on here?" Blake asked, his deadpan voice grating slightly on Zahlia's already taut nerves. They were locked in her room, Zahlia packing a bag for a light trip and Blake perched on the edge of her bed, cross-legged. His eyes followed her progress around the room and he was chewing on his lower lip and frowning, looking as usual too old for his age.

"I'm just going to go visit mom," she said, her eyes scanning the items of clothing she had spread out on the desk. "I won't be gone long."

"Zahlia, I don't know if you like, used up all your lying on the others or something, but that is the weakest excuse I've ever heard. I'm kinda insulted you think I'm that dumb."

Zahlia turned to face her little brother, a scowl developing on her face, and he stood up, eager to further the unpleasant confrontation. "You remember I'm your brother, right? Things that have to do with our family kind of affect me too." The sarcasm dripped from every word and Zahlia fought an eye-roll that would have felt normal for a big sister to do. "I know you wouldn't ask me to stay back if you were just visiting mom. I figure you're going to Lavender Town on your own, but I don't freaking understand _why_."

"Blake, please. Just stay here with Edith. You will make this so much easier if you work with me."

"Not my job," he said, doing the eye-roll she had resisted and repeating himself again: "You remember I'm your _brother_, right?"

Zahlia slid her teeth against each other, not quite grinding but getting close. After a moment, Blake changed topics slightly, stunning her with his accuracy.

"If this is about Zeke, you're crazy. You're crazy for going anywhere near him and for not telling the others everything." Blake glared up into her face and, unbidden, the memory of one of the longest nights of her life came back to her.

Zeke had not been pleased to see Zahlia and Blake traveling together out in the woods of Route 11, and it was a sore lack of foresight on Zahlia's part that she had not heard him coming. She had just checked in with him not a week before, and hadn't expected him to tail her. Zeke was nothing if not unpredictable, though. The fight started out in the typical Zeke way; he got angry and intense, his eyes wide and his brow low on his forehead, accusations and assumptions leaping forth from his intense paranoia. "What are you doing with _him_?" had really thrown her for a loop, though. She hadn't realized that Zeke would be upset with her for traveling with Blake—if anything she thought his anger would have been about her slacking off on her job. Defending her little brother had not been wise, but she hadn't been thinking. When Zeke got like that she was right to fear for the safety of whoever was on the receiving end of his irrational anger, and sure enough, things had escalated horribly from there. She didn't even remember how she fell, but she knew it was the result of a misplaced Pokémon attack. Perhaps she had been thrown back against the tree by the Arbok, or the Fearow. It was a little fuzzy and indistinct now. All she could remember was Zeke's shocked, remorseful face, his hand reaching out towards her, and her snap-decision. She had yanked Blake closer to her with one hand while making the hand motion for Night Shade with her other, a swirling circular wave with two fingers in the air. Gastly responded at once, covering them with the choking, shimmering black that felt so unnatural to most people. Zahlia had been planning to use it as a temporary fog until she could assess the damage to her leg and make a better escape plan, but an unexpected twist had helped them out even more.

Zeke, evidently, could not walk into the area of the Night Shade attack. It was not for lack of trying—his cursing and bellowing had been very audible right outside the circle of darkness, and the thrashing and destruction that had met their ears created a worm of fear within her as she held Blake close. She got the feeling Blake was more confused than afraid, but let her cling to him for her sake.

Zeke had eventually grown frustrated and left, but that didn't stop Zahlia from hiding herself and her brother in Night Shade almost nonstop. She had discovered that she had to drop the attack briefly in order to send and receive calls and text messages, but she only let down the field of shadow for a minute at a time until she and Blake heard the approach of their friends many long hours later. She could still remember the bewildered, almost betrayed look Blake had given her when she spun the half-lie for Gav, Orion and the others. It would be the first confused look of many that Blake would send her way, though over time those looks had morphed into frustration and anger.

"It's about Zeke, huh. I really hope we're going to be heading there to shoot him with a tranq gun and turn him over to the cops."

"We?" Zahlia asked, abandoning her packing entirely and narrowing her eyes at her brother. "You are staying here. I made that clear."

"Hah," he said, still in his monotone. "That's funny. You can't really stop me from coming with you. I don't want to give you an ultimatum, but I will if you don't just accept it. I'm coming with you if I can't talk you out of this stupid idea."

"You realize that threatening to give me an ultimatum is an ultimatum in itself," Zahlia said, anxiety chewing at her major organs at the thought of Blake accompanying her. She knew her younger brother well enough to know he was dead serious about this, and could be an unstoppable force when determined. She could be an immovable object all she wanted, but to do so would involve staying at Edith's cottage and abandoning her plans to head this catastrophe off at the pass.

She didn't realize she'd been quiet for so long, but when Blake sighed and sat back down on the bed, she snapped back to reality. "Well, I'm going with you regardless. I just would really like to know what exactly you're hoping to accomplish here."

His audacity set her teeth on edge again briefly, but her mind had gone back into compromise mode. "If you're coming with me, you'll be staying in the Pokémon Center while I take care of my loose ends. Understood?"

"Fine," Blake said, shrugging. "I don't want to go anywhere near Zeke, trust me. I got the feeling he wasn't really up for a happy family reunion last time we met, and all." He quirked one eyebrow at Zahlia. "I'm still waiting to hear what you'll be doing."

"That's not part of the compromise," she said.

"You realize the prefix of the word 'compromise' is co-, right? As in 'mutually'? I think the fact that I'm not telling Gav and Victoria what you're doing, and the fact that I'm agreeing to stay in the Lavender Pokémon Center and out of your way is two points on your side. I've only got one point, which is you letting me travel there with you. My second point is for you to tell me what the hell is going on. Then we're even."

Zahlia could not help but smile. The Nakawas seemed to have a predilection for mathematics and statistics, and she saw more and more of herself in her little brother every day. The feeling was short-lived, though, and she knew she had to yield a little to meet him in the middle. If she couldn't be frank with Blake, who had more than proved his ability to guard their family secrets, she could be so with no one.

"What I hope to accomplish there is to distract him from noticing the others in town," she said. "He's got the entire place mapped out very well and if he doesn't have something else occupying his attention, he'll catch them right away. He hasn't heard from me in months, so I'm quite sure I can keep him busy for the few days it will take for the others to get their information. It also will help me to keep him thinking that I'm still a loyal member of the family… at least for now."

Blake's face had taken on the look of someone tasting food slightly gone bad, and he counted items off on his fingers as he spoke. "There's so much wrong with that I can't even count. … That's a lie, but still. First, I don't know if you can really keep him busy for days. You might be giving yourself too much credit there. You're not _that_ interesting. Second, he hasn't heard from you in months and you're just gonna stroll back in like nothing happened? How is that supposed to end well?"

"I've gone deep undercover before. It usually was not for this long, but it has happened."

"My sister the super-spy," Blake said, not sounding at all like he thought it was even a little cool. "Not done, by the way. Two, continued—I really don't think he'll buy that, but I guess you know the psycho better than I do. Three, I seriously don't think it's a good idea for you to be trying to convince him you're still interested in the Nakawa affairs… whatever the hell they are. Don't you think a clean getaway is better?"

"How do you propose I do that?" Zahlia asked, frustration seeping into her tone. "If it were that easy I'd have left the second I came of age." She realized it was a mistake to say that the second it left her mouth, and Blake's eyes widened as he stared hard at her.

"What, are they gonna whack you if you try to leave? Is it that serious?" he asked. Zahlia sighed and threw her hands up, but he was not letting it go. "I know that Zeke is nuts, but… your _dad_ wouldn't really try to hurt you or screw up your life, right?"

The way Blake said "your dad" only served to remind Zahlia even more why she had dreaded getting him involved. She had hoped that her brother would be safe and happy with his own father in Fuchsia, but here they were in her room, planning ways to get closer to Zeke and the tangle of danger that was the Nakawa family.

"No," Zahlia said, wanting to placate him. "Of course not. It's just a good deal more complicated than it seems."

They both recognized the ridiculousness of that statement at the same time and broke out into smiles. "Yeah," Blake said, taking the sarcastic quip that was too perfect to ignore, "because this is all so simple and normal otherwise."

"Just rest assured that broken legs don't happen normally. We've been over this before, and you saw what happened—I fell badly. Zeke is troubled, but he's the only one of the group that's like that. Father always paired us up together so I could keep an eye on him."

"Fabulous job," Blake grumbled, but she could read his poorly-disguised interest all too clearly. This was the most they had talked about Zeke and the Nakawas in months, and she knew how much more information he longed for.

"You should go pack," Zahlia said, a sigh in her tone. "We'll have to travel fast and light if we're going to beat the others by a good margin to Lavender."

"Right," he said, getting up at once and heading quickly out to get his things ready. She wondered if he was worried about her changing her mind. When he was gone Zahlia tried to go back to packing, but the heavy weight she carried around had doubled during the conversation with Blake. She took her brother's vacated spot on the bed and stared unseeingly at the floor, trying to figure out how to keep this balancing act up, all her spinning plates in the air for just a little bit longer.

She knew it was hopelessly optimistic to think they wouldn't come crashing down around her, and soon.

* * *

Lavender Town was as much of a tension-laden spot of discomfort for Zahlia as ever, but the sight of Blake in a blonde wig made it a little better. He kept itching at it and fussing, but luckily no one seemed to give the siblings much more than a passing glance. Zahlia thought it looked ridiculously fake, even for being a high-quality wig, but that was probably just because the sight of her brother with anything other than jet black hair was a little disorienting. Edith had been somewhat puzzled by their sudden decision to visit their mother, but had nothing against family reunions. She also had no way of noticing that Blake's disguise-wig was gone, since their outfits and accessories were all kept in their rooms, and Edith was never the type to snoop. Edith and the others rarely called one another on intel-missions unless something very important came up, so the odds of Gav and the others realizing Zahlia and Blake had left were slim to none. So far that plate was still spinning.

Zahlia checked them into a shared room with two twin beds, dropped her bag off at the foot of her bed, and started straight for the door. Blake had whipped the wig off his head at once and called out, "hey, wait a second!" at her before she could escape. "You're going _now_?"

"I need to get this started soon. We don't have that much of a head start on the others."

"We just got here. I for one am tired like crazy. Is it a good idea to deal with Zeke after hiking all morning? Plus, how will I know you're okay? You won't be able to call me."

They were good questions and points, but were delivered in such a rapid way that Zahlia had to take a moment to sort them in her brain. She looked at the pocket of her bag that held the new cell phone she'd bought under an account with her fake ID, and debated it for a moment. She'd been planning on leaving it here, but Blake seemed to be too beside himself for that. "I'll be fine with Zeke. Try to trust me on this, I've dealt with him all my life, tired or no. And no, I won't be able to call you easily, but how's this…" she stooped down, dug the phone out of the bag, and slipped it into her jeans. "I'll tell Zeke I checked in to the Center and will need to come back here tonight. If I'm not back in twelve hours, you call me. Okay?"

"Twelve _hours_? Are you serious? That is way too long."

"Blake, seriously. Trust me on this."

"Because you've been so trustworthy this whole time!" he snapped, taking Zahlia far off guard. "And because you've trusted _me_ so much, right? The others don't know _any_ of this, and I've kept your secrets for you forever. You can't just say 'trust me on this' and run off for twelve hours to chat it up with some guy who attacked us because you were walking around with me."

Zahlia was being pulled in many different directions, some emotional and some logical. She was peripherally surprised at how good Blake was becoming at weaving his rhetoric, another Nakawa family trait that was shaping up to look genetic. This was very secondary to the burning in her throat, though, which was more horrifying to her than the prospect of going to face the music with Zeke. She could not afford to be emotionally compromised in any way right now.

Blake's expression was teetering between stubborn and slightly remorseful, but stubbornness won out as he stared at her and she stared at him. Finally she let out a slow breath and spoke.

"I don't know what else to tell you. I can take care of myself, which I hope you understand. I'll try to check in with you as often as I can, but I'm being realistic. He's going to want a big long report from me, and it will look weird if I'm sending out texts. I'll let you know how I am as soon as I can, but please… you need to be patient." She debated about saying the next part, which sounded too much like a pity-party of excuses in her head, but she hoped it would help him understand. "This is not easy for me, and I've done as much as I can to include you and fix this."

Evidently what felt like excuse-making to her was what Blake needed to hear. He deflated a bit and sat on the bed, the guilt winning over on his face. "Sorry. Just, stressed out. Get in touch as much as you can, and if you're not back by 11 p.m. tonight, I'm coming in after you."

"Do you even know where I'll be?" she asked, the smile coming slowly back to her face.

"The Pokémon Tower, duh," Blake said, surprising her for the umpteenth time this week. "Where else would Zeke be?"

Zahlia wondered briefly if she should ask Blake how he had come to that conclusion, but she was very aware of the time ticking away and the others who were drawing closer and closer. In a moment of mushy sibling affection, she pulled Blake into a fussy, one-armed hug that he resisted before reluctantly returning. Then she was gone, out the door and down the hall towards the mess of unknown variables that was her older brother.

* * *

The Pokémon Tower was not very busy at 11 a.m. on a Monday, when most people would be at work or in school. There were still a few people touristing it up, a morbid idea to Zahlia, but they did not pay her any mind. Being in the Pokémon Tower was like being perpetually in an elevator; everyone stared straight ahead and eye contact was usually expressly forbidden. No one wanted to make someone else feel uncomfortable by catching them with red, puffy eyes, or be caught that way in turn.

Zahlia headed straight to the top floor, taking a quick peek around at the two other people who were staring morosely at tombstones on the other side of the room. She ducked behind a particularly large, ornate headstone with an image of a Mr. Mime on it, and quietly sent out her Gastly. He looked a little confused to be back here again after so long, but knew the drill so well he could probably execute the move in his sleep. He turned his head up towards the ceiling and drifted slowly skyward, rising through to the blocked-off top floor. Zahlia toyed with the idea for about two seconds that Zeke might not even be in yet, but two seconds was all the time she had. An Abra flashed down before her, grabbed her ankle, and teleported her up before any more time had elapsed.

"Zahlia, what the hell!"

The familiar, musty smell hit her like a slap in the face, and Zeke's harsh words were an equally sharp assault on her nervous system. In under a second he was in her face, his hands closing around her shoulders, just shy of shaking her. Her dark eyes found his, and she could tell by the manic look on his face that he was particularly unhinged today. She had been expecting this, but it was never a pleasant realization.

"Where have you been?" he demanded, his dark hair looking oily and disheveled this close to her face. He was so tall that he always had to stoop down when they fought like this, and Zahlia had perfected the art of looking down on someone cooly even while craning her neck to look up.

"I've been deep undercover with the Fremont kid, like I told you in the woods," she answered calmly, counting breaths and staring unblinkingly into Zeke's eyes.

"You haven't been in touch since that day! It's been months, what the hell do you mean?" A muscle at his jaw was twitching.

"He's astute. Did you want me to get caught?" she shrugged him off, deciding he had played his intimidation card long enough. Zeke took a few steps back, which was always a good sign. Perhaps he still felt bad about the broken leg incident.

It didn't stop him from glaring at her like he wanted to gut her, though. "Your phone has been disconnected," he accused, then swore at random, way too loud for someone only one floor above quiet, mourning people. Zahlia glared at him and gestured towards the floor, then threw her hands in the air in a "what is wrong with you?" motion. Zeke ignored her and stormed to the other side of the small storage room, fuming. He turned back to her, looking like he wanted to say something, but turned away again and burst out through the door into the main shrine, Zahlia hot on his heels. She paused in her pursuit of her brother, though, her footfalls stumbling to a halt as she left shoe prints in a fine, gray substance on the ground. It took her a second to realize the entire floor was covered with ashes, and as her eyes raked the area she saw more than one shattered urn. She blanched, but luckily Zeke's back was still turned.

He turned back to her and raked his eyes across the floor, like he only saw the damage now. A little squirm of discomfort passed over his face, but he crossed his arms and stood straight and tall, staring her down. "Father will be happy to know you've turned up," he said simply, his former rage vanishing in place of cool annoyance.

She had been right—he was as volatile and unpredictable as ever. "Come now, I don't think you actually told father that I was undercover, if you didn't even realize that's where I was."

Zeke's nostrils flared briefly and his eyes widened just a hair, but he was back in control for now. "Well? Report."

It was going according to plan so far. This was the part Zahlia had been hoping they would get to. She silently urged Gav and Victoria's group to hurry up and arrive, get their information, and leave. "He's fine," she said without any uncertainty, mirroring Zeke's position and crossing her arms over her chest. "I took extra time to make sure he's not displaying any of the signs father told me about."

"What are those signs?" Zeke asked at once, taking a few steps forward and abandoning his rigid posture. His eyes were always so much more expressive than anyone else's, especially from the Nakawa family. She could read him so easily, and it had saved her from trouble more than once. Now he looked hungry, like he wanted to take the information he desired straight from her brain in any way possible. The blackness in his eyes was deeper than just their color, and Zahlia stood her ground with difficulty.

"You know father didn't feel the need to fill everyone in on that information. If you want to know, take it up with him."

"Why won't you just tell me?" Zeke asked, a snarl breaking into his tone. Just like that, he had pinballed back into irrational fury.

"I don't want father's wrath any more than you do. You understand that, Zeke. There's not much I can do."

Zeke stared into her face for a while, analyzing, and Zahlia let her expression slip into one of sympathy and affection, only part of which she had to fake. Zeke had not always been like this, but the pressure of being the eldest Nakawa had taken its toll on her brother. Zeke misinterpreted the look as one of genuine remorse at her inability to inform him, and she could see the grudging acceptance on his face as he straightened up and stood tall once more.

"What about the brat?" Zeke asked, his voice cold and flat. "Where did he go?"

"I sent Blake home after you attacked us in the woods. Thanks for that, by the way," she said, narrowing her eyes at him and turning her head to the side, the memory of that night causing an empathy tingle in her leg.

"It was an accident," Zeke said hastily, grabbing her arm and turning her back to face him. His grip was too tight, but Zahlia never gave him the satisfaction of showing any discomfort. "You shouldn't have picked a fight with me. He's not even our blood, and when you were defending him, I… you shouldn't have done it," he finished awkwardly, looking for all the world like a disappointed school teacher. It was a little disorienting to see that disapproving frown vanish into a look of genuine sadness and concern in less than a second. The grip on her arm slackened and instead he put his hands on her shoulders again, gently, and peered into her face with what looked a lot like guilt. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Zahlia said, feeling that familiar sense of disorientation and discomfort, but hiding it. She let him fret for a while, asking questions about her leg and her healing time, whether or not she had to be hospitalized, and the like. He apologized more times than was normal for anyone, even if he had been someone like Orion who often apologized to people for things that could not possibly be his fault.

The thought of Orion steeled her resolve again, and she sighed and put a hand on Zeke's arm in a comforting gesture. It set him off and in a second he was halfway across the room, staring at her with narrowed eyes. Zeke never did like to be touched, and it was a surefire way for Zahlia to earn back her personal space. "When I go back undercover it will be easier for me to get in touch with you. I'm not being watched closely anymore."

"Why would you need to go back under?" Zeke asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. "You seem so sure that the Fremont kid is clean. It sounds like your mission is over."

"When father tells me it's over, it'll be over," Zahlia said, the single biggest gamble she had made thus far; it was possible their father had already left orders for her, and if that was true she was out of excuses. The metaphorical plate was thrown high into the air now, flipping over and over, and to catch it would be a tricky thing indeed. "I'll report back soon, and you can tell me then, once you've spoken to father and gotten his next set of orders."

Zeke smiled a broad, wicked, mischievous smile, and it was the only warning Zahlia had. "Zahlia, you can cut the crap now. I have to admit, you're just as fast on your feet as ever." Her stomach plunged into her feet and in her mind the plate shattered on the ground among the pieces of broken urns. "I know your little group of friends was responsible for the Silph break-in. You wouldn't _believe_ how much trouble I got in for that one. You'll pay for that."

Zahlia's mind whirled into overdrive, her carefully calculated variables exploding. Surely Azakawa wouldn't have been stupid enough to report Vaughn Nakawa's rogue daughter to him—that would have been overstepping his boundary and revealing unforgivable negligence on the part of the Silph contacts. She had stolen his card key right from his jacket pocket—surely admitting that would have ended horribly for Azakawa. It made no sense that he would have shared that information.

Zeke was continuing. "I had really hoped that, when you came to visit me today, you'd be sharing with me all sorts of goodies on that interesting little band of children," he said. "I'd hoped that you were sticking with them to report more to us about what in the world they are up to. It would have been nice to have a family member so strategically placed among them. It's too bad you're a traitor."

The last sentence, though emotionally packed, was delivered with utter calm. Zahlia did not often fear her brother. She could handle him when he was raging, when he was strangely vacant and distressed, or when he was impatient and manic. The only times he truly scared her were times like this, when his sharp and devastatingly calm mind emerged from the haze of whatever disorder he had, and tore apart her defenses with cold, cutting clarity.

She didn't think it could possibly get worse, but she had been wrong a lot lately. "I also know that your little group of criminals is in town right now. They arrived here yesterday—why were you lagging so far behind?"

Zahlia felt a surge of heat and self-loathing overwhelm her, and it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to manage to keep her expression unreadable. They must have used Jason's and Amaris' Kadabras to teleport them the rest of the way at some point. It was a change of plans that she had not considered, and her series of oversights had just cost her everything.

She knew what would happen, and it seemed like he did too. In a flash their Pokémon were out, and to the backdrop of flying ash, the dank, dirty smell of the shrine and the screaming cry of Zeke's Fearow, Zahlia desperately wished her friends and Blake away from the town. There was no way she could warn them now.


	14. Ms Ida Silvermann :Victoria:

Chapter 14: Ms. Ida Silvermann

(Victoria Larson)

Ms. Ida Silvermann, the receptionist from the Pokémon Tower, was a notoriously difficult woman to find. The gang had first decided to investigate whether or not she was still alive, since the last they had heard she was in critical condition at Lavender's central hospital. Much to their relief, it hadn't taken much sleuthing to determine that she had made a full recovery, but had never gone back to work at the Pokémon Tower. In fact, it seemed as if she'd never gone back to work anywhere at all.

They only ever met in Gav's room, avoiding sharing meals together in the lobby and even making sure they left the Center at staggered times. Gav and Victoria were one team, Kaylee and Beth another, and the Initiates hung out in a small group. Orion, oddly, had developed a penchant for being on his own, and had volunteered to roam around solo when they divided up their group. No one questioned it openly, but Victoria kept track of all the strange nuances in his behavior, and added that one to her list.

They kept in touch via text message, but the updates were largely the same: _nothing new on my end; me either; did you try the library records; yeah and they have nothing; i found a little article maybe ten sentences long; this is a washout; yeah you're right._

"I don't even know if she's still in Lavender," Victoria said over tea late on their first evening in town. "Maybe she moved. I would, if I went through something like that."

"Possible," Gav said, still glued to his PDA. His coffee was no doubt getting cold once again. "I don't know, either way there would have been some sort of paper trail I could follow if she _did_ move. I've got nothing so far."

Victoria's phone buzzed against her leg and she tugged it out, glancing down at the screen. _possible lead, someone says they're pretty sure she moved in to her mom's old house on the edge of town. — B_

Victoria's eyebrows rose as she wrote back, _wow, good job. why did they give you info? we've been asking around all day and getting dirty looks. — V_

_it's because i'm so amiable and charming — B_

* * *

Ms. Ida Silvermann's house was so stereotypical for Lavender Town that Victoria half-expected it to be a tourist trap. _Come see the haunted house of the crazy shut-in cat lady! Only fifteen marks admission, ten for kids!_ The shutters were hanging sadly, dark brown spots of spider-like mold had started crawling up the side of the stairs, and planks of wood that did not match the rest of the house had been used to board up the crawl space beneath it. Victoria feared for her life as she and the others carefully climbed the dark porch steps to knock on the door.

They had decided to tackle this attempt the same evening, and had elected to leave the Fremonts and Initiates behind, avoiding the big crowd problem. It was just their original group of four. If the entire expedition to Lavender could have just included Victoria, Gav, Beth and Kaylee, she would have kept it that way. In the end it was just more practical to have as many pairs of hands and eyes gathering information as possible to reduce the amount of time spent in town. Perhaps it was her woman's intuition, or just paranoia, but Victoria did not feel secure at all in this place.

When no one answered after about a minute, Victoria was tempted to turn around and usher the others off the steps and back to the Center. She was a little reluctant though; she'd seen enough horror movies with Beth to realize that the second someone turned their back on a door, they would be snatched up by something inside. Instead they stared at the house with its peeling dark blue paint and waited for some sounds of life from inside. Victoria thought she had pretty good hearing, but she and the rest of her friends jumped about a mile when the door suddenly flew open. She hadn't heard the footsteps of anyone approaching, which she had expected since she figured the floorboards inside would all creak. Perhaps the shirtless young man now staring at them had memorized where the patches of bad floor were. He was about their age with short-cropped red-and-green dyed hair, which was where Victoria's eyes snapped at once. There was a prolonged moment of silence as the guy put his hands out palm-up and shook his head with a "well?" look on his face.

"Hi," Gav said, stepping forward and going to put out his hand for a shake. "We were wondering if Ms. Ida Silvermann is in?"

The reaction was immediate; the boy took a half-step back and started to close the door partway. This would not be easy. "Who's asking?"

"We just wanted to ask her some things about the Pokémon Tower, from a little over a year ago," Gav explained, and Victoria was momentarily floored. Had it really been that long?

"Sorry, no dice," the boy said, going to close the door in their faces. Victoria stepped forward and put her hand against it, leaning over to peer through the steadily-shrinking opening.

"It's important," she said, trying to get the words out quickly before he could decide whether or not to slam it in her face. "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't."

"I'm sure it is," he said, evidently not rude enough to shove a girl backwards with a door. "But we're not interested in talking, thanks."

"Please at least tell her we came by," Beth said, leaning over so she could look at the guy through the opening, too. Victoria saw the way his eyes shot to the floor and, curious, turned to look at Beth over her shoulder. Well, this was an interesting and unwelcome development—her sister was blushing.

"Yeah, fine," the guy said, and Victoria stepped away from the door and let it close quietly. The group remained on the steps in the dusky, gathering dark, a little at a loss for what to do, before heading back down the dirt path towards the Center.

"Well," Kaylee said, and Victoria turned to her, expecting some sort of plan, "he was hot."

"I know, right?" Beth said, turning to Kaylee and nodding her agreement. "The hair was a little weird, but kinda cute. Wonder why he dyed it."

"What, you don't think the red and green is natural?" Kaylee joked, and Victoria took a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting backwards from fifty. "Maybe he's undercover, too."

"Very inconspicuous," Beth agreed seriously.

Gav seemed to realize that Victoria would need a hand on the shoulder right about now, and it was the only thing that stopped her from snapping royally at their two sisters, who pulled a little ahead of the pack to gossip. Victoria gave Gav a withering look and he tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter.

The lighthearted mood had escaped from their group by the time they'd made it back to the Center. Victoria filled in the other four about their failure at Ida's home and the disagreeable young man who had answered the door, and the responses were again, of the usual kind: _dang what now?; maybe we can try again tomorrow?; do you think we should give up and go look for the aggro?_

For all the confidence Victoria and Gav tried to give off as the unofficial leaders of this group, she for one had a hard time admitting how often the answer was "I don't know."

* * *

The consensus they had reached the next morning was to pack up and get going, as the idea of hanging around in Lavender was not appealing to any of them. The odds of getting the guy to talk seemed bleak as well, and there was officially no reason to stick around. "Zahlia was right, I guess," Gav said to Victoria as they started to pack up their things. "Should have just gone for Viridian."

Red-and-green guy walked into the Pokémon Center when Victoria was ordering breakfast from the food counter, and she was able to tell someone interesting had entered by watching the intrigued frown that passed over the cashier's face. Victoria turned around to see what she was staring at, and there he was, still shirtless for whatever reason. He saw Victoria looking at him with a frown on her face and nodded to her, heading over. Victoria turned back to the too-interested cashier, slid her marks across the table, and turned back to the guy just as he stopped walking a few feet away from her.

"Hey," he said, and when he didn't say anything else Victoria said, "hey," in turn. She sensed that perhaps he too did not want to conduct their business near the watchful gaze of the cashier, and as a result they stood uncomfortably side-by-side until Victoria's eggplant was ready.

"Mind if we?" the guy asked, jerking his head towards the door, where the early morning light was starting to stream through. Victoria nodded, repositioning her food and slipping her plastic fork and napkin into her pocket to follow. Once outside they selected a bench at the side of the Center, and Victoria started to pick at her food. She let the silence between them stretch for a little while, but soon she looked at her watch and sighed.

"So… you wanted to talk?" she inquired, casting him a sideways glance.

"Uh, yeah." He ran a hand through his multi-colored hair and averted his eyes. "Well, I'll start with, hi, I'm Rei."

"Ray?" Victoria asked, just to keep the conversation going.

He seemed to hear that she was misspelling it in her head from the way she pronounced it, and corrected her. "Rei. R-E-I, anyway, I'm Rei, and I'm Ida's nephew. I told her that you all stopped by yesterday and she was mad at me for sending you away. Said she remembered you guys."

"She did?" Victoria asked, eggplant forgotten now.

"Yeah. You're the kids who were involved in the freak Gastly attack at the Pokémon Tower last summer, right?" Rei asked, quirking his eyebrow up at her.

Victoria debated that briefly in her head before deciding to go with the truth. "Yeah, that was us. We were in town and… well, she's okay, right?"

"Yeah," Rei said, but something about the way he said it gave Victoria pause. "She said you guys can come by today, if you still want."

"I'm sure we all still do," Victoria said, moving to get up with her plate of still-untouched food. "I'll get them. Can you wait here for us? It won't be long."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be here." Rei turned back to stare at any place that wasn't Victoria, and she walked inside and almost ran right into Gav. He caught her plate of eggplant as it slid away from her, and with their powers combined they managed to stop it from landing on the ground.

"Morning to you too," Victoria said, smiling at their collision. "Coming outside to defend my honor again?"

"Hey, last time we were in Lavender you didn't have great luck with guys and benches. Um, the guy's here because…?"

"Ida wants to see us," Victoria said, giving her food an assessing look before deciding to eat breakfast on the walk across town. "Can you get Kay and Beth?"

* * *

Ida's house looked less haunted and more sadly dilapidated by the light of day. Rei lead the way up the stairs, evidently unashamed at the state of the place, and let them inside. Victoria caught sight of Ms. Silvermann right away; she was much less tan than she had been last year, and there were bags under her eyes, but she still had the young-and-hip school teacher look. Victoria decided that Rei had to be her nephew from a much older sibling, since there was no way anyone younger than Ida could have a son Rei's age. Ida was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of something, and smiled to the teens as they made their way over.

"Hi, yes, it _is_ you. I thought it must be. Come sit down." She smiled a wan smile and the four trainers exchanged a quick glance before obliging. Rei had to bring in an fifth, mismatched chair from somewhere else in the house, but soon they were seated. Rei had chosen to stand and lean against the fridge. Ida looked into each of their faces, a frown coming across her features as she studied them. Her eyes lingered on Victoria and before she had much of a chance to feel nervous, Ida said, "I remembered you as a redhead."

Victoria indeed had her temporary brown dye in, and simply smiled at her, unsure of what to say. Instead Gav took over. "We're glad to see you're okay."

"As okay as one can be, given everything," Ida said vaguely, turning to Rei. "Rei, could you put on some more cider for the guests?" Rei raised his eyebrow again, but did as he was told. Victoria saw Beth fidget a little in the seat beside her. Ida turned back to them and scanned their faces once more. "What brings you here?"

"We… were wondering if you'd be willing to go into what happened that night," Gav said, hesitating before offering up the request. The sound of a teapot being set down a little too hard filled the kitchen, and all eyes turned to Rei. His back was turned, but the tension in his posture was unmistakable.

Ida bit her lip and kept her eyes on Rei's back for a while, clearly undergoing some sort of inner struggle. Victoria and Gav exchanged a look, questioning whether or not they should provide her with some more reasoning as to why they were asking, but ultimately kept quiet. Pressing Ida further didn't seem wise.

It took a while, but Ida turned back to them and nodded. "I don't remember too much, to be honest. It took a while for me to even remember the things that I do."

"I'll be in the living room," Rei said, turning up the gas stove and heading from the kitchen. The others watched him go, Ida with a frown on her face. She waited for a moment before continuing.

"It was difficult for my nephew. He's lived with me for years and that time was hard on us both. It puts him on edge, and I can't say I enjoy talking about it, either."

"We're sorry," Beth said gently, reaching her hand out and taking Ida's like it was the most natural thing in the world. "We wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, and we really appreciate that you agreed to see us."

Victoria took a moment to genuinely admire her sister. She was sure if she had tried that stunt on Ida, the shaken-up woman would have thought Victoria was going to harm her in some way. Back when the two sisters had taken public transport in Celadon, Beth had been the one making single-serving friends on the bus rides home. Victoria was the one with no one sitting beside her because she looked "forbidding and stuck-up," as one of their friends had so helpfully put it. Right now Ida was responding to Beth the way everybody did. There was the warming of her eyes and the relaxing of her expression, and she squeezed Beth's hand back.

"Of course. I'm curious about what you mean by asking these questions, but I'll tell you what I know first." Ida took a moment to herself, sipping her cider, and soon the tea kettle was whistling. Rei appeared in the kitchen doorway but Ida waved him away with a smile. "I can do it," she said, moving something from her lap and climbing to her feet. The something turned out to be a steel-blue cane, and as Ida made her way over to the stove Victoria saw the way her left leg was thinner than the right now, the muscles less developed and the knee bone looking somehow wrong. She shot a look to Gav, who was expressionless other than his brown eyes, portraying his shock and empathy like a beacon. Luckily Ida was distracted with the hot water for the apple cider, but Rei had seen them all staring. He looked hard at each of them in turn, and many of them turned away. Beth was the only one who held his gaze, and Victoria saw the small smile she offered the boy. Victoria didn't have to look at Rei to picture quite clearly the flustered look on his face.

"Alright, here you are," she said, pouring the cider out into four cups. Gav stood up and distributed them along the table, where there were quiet murmurs of thanks. Ida sat back down slowly, put her cane back on her lap, and waited while they all took their first sips. "Need anything?"

"No, it's great the way it is," Kaylee said, speaking up for the first time. She blinked rapidly and stared into her cup, and Victoria felt embarrassed on her behalf.

"The injury was a result of that night," Ida said. "I'm lucky it healed up as well as it did." She stirred her cider with her spoon, a calm and thoughtful look on her face. Something seemed to occur to her though, and she looked up at them, frowning. "Sorry, by the way… from what I hear you all have been asking about me. It's not… easy, getting information in Lavender Town. It's part of the reason I like it here so much. We're very protective of our neighbors."

"That does sound nice," Beth said, smiling. "Lavender solidarity."

"Yes," Ida said, returning the smile. "Alright, down to business. I'm sorry, it's a little… well." She shook her head and spoke to her cup, which allowed the others more of a chance to watch her, not having to hide their interest for propriety's sake. "That night after the police report was filed, I went home. Everything was fine until I heard something upstairs, like a window breaking. Rei was visiting his parents at the time, so I knew it wasn't him. I armed myself and went to call the police for the second time that night, but before I could, the young man came down the stairs."

Ida paused, and Victoria managed to catch Kaylee with a light kick under the table before she spoke; the fire trainer had been opening her mouth to prompt Ida to continue, and Victoria gave her a curt shake of the head. Ida continued after a moment, and their attention was turned back to her at once.

"I described him to the police, but by the time I was awake and could remember what happened, the description was hardly of any use. I'm sure he moved on long ago. He was perhaps eighteen, quite tall and rather pale. Black hair and very dark eyes. He seemed… not well." Ida swallowed hard and let out a deep breath, and Rei moved over to stand by her protectively, looking very much like a bodyguard—a bodyguard with holiday-colored hair.

"What do you mean, not well?" Gav asked.

She frowned slightly, evidently trying to word it. "He was very disjointed, when he spoke. It was like he couldn't decide whether or not he was angry. He seemed afraid at one point, which frightened me the most. All I remember is that he told me to mind my own business and stay away from him, which I didn't understand at all. He must have had the wrong person. The police chalked it up to some sort of mental illness, that he was confused and thought I was somehow a danger to him even though we had never met."

There were so many questions to ask, but Victoria kept them to herself as Ida finished her story. "I got hurt when I tried to run. He had Pokémon with him, more than one… all I remember though was the Fearow. I tried to get to the front door, but he blocked me. From there my only choice was to go up the stairs, I figured I'd try to shout out one of the windows. He pursued me and… from what I'm told, I ran into the broken window and I fell. I don't remember."

The first thing that leapt into Victoria's mind was the sound she and Beth had heard almost a year ago in the Pokémon Tower—the sound of an enormous bird above their heads. There was heavy silence in the kitchen, and it was a while before Gav asked his next question. "There was an obvious sign of struggle in your house, I'd think."

Ida's eyes widened, like she couldn't believe she had almost forgotten to mention it. "That's the strange part. During the chase, chairs were upturned, an old glass sculpture of mine was broken… but when I woke up in the hospital I was told the house was in order when the police arrived. The sculpture was just gone, not a trace of broken glass..." Ida shook her head. "There are times I wonder if I made it all up, but I don't think so. It felt so real."

"You're not crazy," Rei said stubbornly, his arms crossed over his chest. He was staring at the stove like he was talking to the gas burner instead of his aunt.

"There were never any leads on your attacker?" Gav asked.

"No," Ida said, shrugging. "The police weren't sure if I was just confused after my fall, but there's still a report floating around about the man. I was told if any such person was found he would be arrested on the spot and brought in for questioning, but they didn't have evidence of foul play beyond my word. I think they would have believed me more if I hadn't hit my head so hard in the fall. I was out for almost a month."

Victoria cringed, trying not to imagine figures falling from second story windows. "I'm so sorry," she said, the words and the genuine sentiment behind them surprising her. She hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"I'm quite fine now, it's alright," Ida said, smiling a little awkwardly and sadly at Victoria. "If you don't mind, I'm curious why you all are back here now."

Gav exchanged a look with the others, then began speaking in a halting way. "We're trying to get to the bottom of something ourselves, and started to wonder if... what happened here was involved in any way."

Ida nodded, and to Victoria's immense surprise, said, "I understand. I won't ask you more about it. I can obviously relate to needing to keep on the down low. I hope I was able to help."

"Yes," Beth said at once. It looked like she had bonded with Ida, and Victoria felt her brow furrow. "Thank you so much. We're happy you're okay."

"Yeah, thank you," Kaylee added, still looking so uncomfortable that Victoria was shocked she didn't just combust. "You didn't have to talk to us, and we're really glad that you did."

Ida seemed a little flustered now, and Rei also looked abashed. He was still staring at the stove. "Of course," Ida said, smiling to them all again and looking perhaps a little misty-eyed. "Can you stay for lunch?"

* * *

"That was…" Kaylee started, the sun to her back and a disturbed look on her face.

"Weird," Gav finished, rubbing his face vigorously. "It was very weird."

They had been with Ida and Rei for the better part of the afternoon, and Victoria had been genuinely shocked to see that it was going on four p.m. by the time they left. "She's so damn _nice_," Victoria said, as if it were some kind of personality flaw. She couldn't quite keep the edge from her voice. On an unrelated note, she added, "This is so confusing."

"You're telling me," Kaylee agreed. "I'm glad we got her story, but damn. I felt so uncomfortable the whole time we were there. I mean, it was nice of her to feed us and she's a sweet lady, but oh god. We come barging up to her house to dig up her painful past and she gives us chicken salad and tomato soup. I feel like the worst person ever."

"You're quiet," Victoria said, turning to Beth and quirking an eyebrow. She decided to add dramatic flair. "_Too_ quiet."

"Hmm?" Beth asked, snapping out of a daze. Like a bloodhound, Kaylee zeroed in for the kill.

"Ooh. _I_ know what you're thinking about. You're thinking about Rei and his delicious, delicious abs. All nineteen of them."

"Rei has nineteen abs?" Beth asked, striving for humor but turning pink. "I'd think it would be difficult to grow an odd number."

"'Grow' abs?" Gav asked conversationally, frowning. "Sounds like you could buy ab-seeds from the garden store."

Victoria snorted. "Seriously, Beth. You're not getting attached to random strangers again, are you?"

"Yeah, 'cause that worked out so terribly last time," Kaylee joked, sticking her tongue out at Victoria. Victoria put her hands up in the surrender position.

"I like you all very much. I just don't think we can afford to be daydreaming about guys and their abs when we're leaving town tonight."

"Oh I am not daydreaming about Rei or his _abs_," Beth said, putting emphasis on the last word and rolling her eyes. "Just hush."

"So," Gav said, graciously moving the conversation into less embarrassing waters, "what do we think? Time to move on? Check out the aggro coordinates?"

"Tomorrow," Victoria said, seriously distracted by the crown-of-thorns throbbing in her temples. "First I need to take a large pill and an equally large nap."

Kaylee and Beth whispered with one another up ahead, no doubt discussing Rei's nineteen abs, and Victoria hung back with Gav, making some space between their two groups. Gav looked down at her, curious, and Victoria sighed.

"So," she started, "you think Ida imagined the break-in?"

"Not in the slightest," Gav said at once. "I'd be very surprised if she did."

"The Fearow," Victoria said. She wanted to talk about this before she forgot any of the details that had been put on hold while they lunched at the Silvermann residence. "I wonder if that's related at all to the bird I heard in Lavender last year."

"Maybe," Gav said, and Victoria almost stopped walking in puzzled surprise when he put his hand between her shoulder blades and rubbed her back briefly. They sometimes would engage in lighthearted touches like this, but they had been increasing as of late. What he said next shocked her even more. "For now though, just focus on your nap. We'll go back to work later." In the second of silence before Victoria spoke, Gav chuckled, then cut her off. "Please don't say I've been replaced by a non-workaholic alien," he joked.

"I was gonna go with robot, but alien actually makes more sense," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, if I was a robot I'd get even more work done."

"We could just plug your PDA right into your brain."

"The antenna might make disguises difficult."

"Nonsense. You'd be able to project holograms around yourself, clearly."

"Oh, of course."

Victoria decided, as she popped her headache medicine that afternoon and collapsed on her bed, that she rather liked this non-workaholic alien/robot mode.

* * *

Victoria woke up at ten that night, sat up in bed and gasped. She wasn't sure if she'd been having a nightmare or had merely woken herself up suddenly with the misplaced fear that she'd overslept some event. She rubbed her raw, thirsty throat and climbed out of bed, suffering from the weird chills and confusion that accompanied a ruined sleep schedule.

Victoria brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face, and headed outside. She passed by Gina and Jason in the hallway and the three of them exchanged just the slightest nod. Kaylee and Beth were outside in the lobby, and since they had already been seen in town together earlier in the day, Victoria did not feel particularly paranoid about going to join them at their booth seat.

"Vee," Beth said with a smile. "We were just gonna go get ice cream. Game?"

"Isn't it past ten? I didn't think anything in Lavender was open this late," Victoria remarked, still trying to shake off the vestiges of sleep.

"We're going on a mission to find out," Kaylee said stout-heartedly. "Gav is just getting some files in order, he'll be out in a sec."

Well, it seemed that alien Gav was back to regular Gav again. Victoria smiled at that and stretched out her sore back until the eldest Harrison arrived in the lobby.

"Onward, to glory and rocky road," he announced, leading the group to the doors.

It occurred to the four trainers about halfway across town that they would not be finding a solution to their ice cream craving. Beth reasoned that joyful, non-macabre things like ice cream were probably banned in Lavender Town, and Kaylee wasted no time pointing out that, if this were true, Rei-of-the-nineteen-abs would be outlawed as well. Beth was just working on poking Kaylee to death when the younger Harrison suddenly stopped in her tracks, her laughter cut short.

"Wait," Kaylee said, putting her hand out to stop the group, frowning hard at the distance. "Wait, _wait_. Is that _Blake_?"

"What?" Victoria demanded, following Kaylee's eyes and squinting hard. Her eyes were not adjusting well in the dark but she thought she saw a figure running towards them.

"It is," Gav said, stiffening up beside her. Victoria was willing to trust the Harrison siblings and their apparently owl-like night vision and followed them as they jogged towards the boy. It became clear that it was indeed Blake before he reached them; it became clear shortly after that something was very wrong.

"What are you—" Kaylee started, but Blake put his hand up to stop her.

"Wait," he said, leaning over on his knees to catch his breath. "Just listen. I need help, Zahlia's—she went off looking for our brother and… she told me to wait, until eleven. I called her at eleven and her phone rang, went to voicemail. It wasn't supposed to ring, she said she'd have it off, but it was on and it rang."

The fact that Zahlia's phone rang seemed to be of vital importance, but Victoria was still struggling to accept the fact that a friend they'd supposedly left in Viridian was standing here before her. Blake took a second to focus on breathing, and in that moment Victoria dove in with questions while Gav, Beth and Kaylee made sure no one was watching. This sort of public display was exactly the sort of thing they had been trying so hard to avoid, but that looked like the least of their problems now.

"Slow down. Zahlia went where?"

"She went to find our brother, Zeke, the psycho who attacked us in the woods and broke her leg."

That answer was the equivalent of a hydra, giving birth to even more questions. Victoria shook her head and checked her phone for the time. It was 11:15, so Zahlia was quite a bit late to check in with her brother, who would clearly be worried for her safety. It wasn't something she would do if she were truly alright. Pushing aside a growing feeling of dread, Victoria tried to sum up the situation and get her brain in gear. "She went to find Zeke? Your brother is in Lavender right now?"

"Yeah," Blake said, glaring at her like she was slow. "That's what I said."

"Why the hell would she go to him? I thought you two were staying with Edith!" Kaylee demanded, her anger starting to rise now that the coast was clear around them.

"It was her idea, I just followed," Blake said snappily, standing up and fidgeting, staring at the imposing shape of the Tower nearby. "I went over to the Tower to look just now, I'm sure that's where she went. Was gonna call you guys, but I saw you walking by just now." He turned to face them again, the irritated look vanishing into one of worry. "She wanted to distract Zeke so he wouldn't know you guys were in town. I told her it was dumb, but she didn't listen."

"Distract Zeke?" Gav asked, frowning and grabbing Blake's arm gently so he would start walking with them. The group headed off towards a library with low lighting out front and a pair of tables nearby. Beth and Kaylee huddled over Beth's phone to try to make this group look more casual and less grim. It was one of their classic formations whenever they were dealing with something serious out in public, even when there was no one obviously watching them. Even while Gav asked his next grave question, Beth pretended to giggle softly at something ahead. "What exactly was Zeke planning to do to us?"

"Hell if I know," Blake said darkly. "I don't understand the nut case. Zahlia just wanted him to not realize you guys were here. Where're the others?" he asked, glancing quickly around at the four of them.

"Probably back at the Center," Gav said, pulling out his cell phone and typing up a text. Victoria took over the questioning in the meantime.

"Zahlia told you to wait for her to come back at eleven and that's the last you heard."

"Yes, for the hundredth—"

"I'd think twice about giving me sass, since you two running around behind our backs is what caused this problem in the first place," Victoria cut him off in a calm, deadly voice. They stopped at a round stone table with a big umbrella staked into the middle, Kaylee and Beth still serving as their lookouts. "We'll get organized and go get her."

Blake remained silent, apparently employing the "if you can't say anything nice" tactic, and Gav muttered, "The others wrote back, Amaris and Jason are prepping the Kadabras. They'll head to the Tower out the Center's back door and meet us there right away."

"So we're just gonna barge in there and what, come to the rescue?" Victoria asked, shaking her head and fighting down the lost-child feeling of frustration and helplessness that threatened to overcome her. "Blake, can you tell us _anything_ at all about Zeke, so we can prepare?"

Red Pokéball light flashed to Victoria's right, and even while she was jumping out of her skin she could see a tall, lanky figure step towards them around the side of the library.

"I can just tell you myself."


	15. Talking is Better :Blake:

Chapter 15: Talking is Better

(Blake Nakawa)

Blake honestly wondered if there could be any situation dire enough to prevent him from pondering mundane things in the back of his mind. Even with Zeke bearing down on them, the hulking shapes of his Pokémon emerging from the shadows, all Blake could think was, _yeah, he really_ does _look like me._

They were in a classic standoff. No one had spoken after Zeke's single line to announce his entrance, and Blake's older brother looked more than a little amused as the group kept their tense, ready stances, hands at their belts like they were in an old Western.

"Okay," Zeke said, taking a step forward. His face split into a delighted grin as Gav moved to stand in front of the group. "For starters, I'm Zeke. I'm nineteen years old, a Scorpio… this is fun, you all should try. I'm very curious about you."

Blake silently urged the others on, calculating the ETA of four teens sprinting from the Pokémon Center to the Tower. While he estimated the miles between here and there, Gav spoke. "We don't want any trouble," he said in even tones.

"Might have thought of that before you decided to break into Silph," Zeke said, motioning with one hand.

Blake flinched, expecting him to toss poison darts at them or something equally radical and unlikely. Instead the Fearow and an enormous Arbok moved to flank their group on either side. _So,_ Blake thought, finding this peripherally interesting, _I forgot he gives wordless Pokémon commands like Zahlia._

Kaylee made a sudden movement, and so did Gav and Zeke a fraction of a second later. Zeke hissed out a sound of disapproval followed by, "Easy now, talking is better than fighting, right? Why don't you all tell me your names."

Blake's mind raced, abandoning its former pursuit of measuring distances. Why was Zeke keeping them out here in the open, where anyone could see them? It wouldn't do him any good if some good citizen called the cops. It made no sense, and while that could just be par for the course with their psycho brother, it seemed wrong.

"Get to the point," Blake said before he fully realized what he was doing. "What do you really—"

"_You shut the hell up_," Zeke snapped, his eyes widening and fixing on Blake. Why Blake had thought drawing Zeke's attention would be wise, he'd never know. Zeke turned back to the others, his playful mood gone. "Where are your other members?" he asked, addressing Gav.

Gav, amazingly, kept it together enough to try to use logic against Zeke. "Why are we doing this in front of a library? If we're going to talk we should go somewhere else."

"Nice try," Zeke said, "Get me to retract my team so you all can fight or flee. That's not how this works. Where are your others?"

Almost before the words had left him, a blast of flames and water erupted into steam around them, and the Fearow shrieked.

Their others, apparently, had arrived. Blake dove to the ground and deployed Grumpy, sensing correctly that this was going to escalate into a free-for-all brawl. Blake's Pidgeotto flapped hastily to protect him from stray Razor Leaf debris that Jason's Bulbasaur sent towards Zeke. Zeke's Fearow, however, deflected them with one enormous wing and sent them in all directions. Some creature yelped nearby and Blake crawled on the ground to get away.

Once he was farther away, up against the wall of the library, he could make vague sense of what was happening. The first battle he saw was taking place extremely close, and it involved Amaris' Wartortle, Gina's Charmander, and the Arbok. Even outnumbered, the Arbok was terrifying and refused to yield any ground. Charmander narrowly avoided being bitten, but got knocked off-balance. Blake was sure it would be hit a moment later, but before the Arbok could rear back for another attack, Wartortle delivered a staggering headbutt to the direct center of its face-like markings. Arbok's tail shot around to wrap Wartortle, but Charmander was back on its feet and slashed red marks into the purple scales, causing the snake to emit a truly terrifying sound and allowing Wartortle to roll out of range. Blake took the turtle's lead and scrambled farther away. Of course his highest level Pokémon was trained exclusively in the not-so-devastating art of letter-carrying. Even now Grumpy seemed stumped and anxious, hovering near Blake probably more for his own protection than his trainer's.

More fire erupted near the stone table, which caught Blake's eye since it ignited the umbrella. Kaylee's younger Growlithe was powerful but not precise, and while the scorched Venonat rolled on the ground the umbrella went up in shockingly quick flames. Little burning ashes of fabric flew into the air with a steady ribbon of smoke. Gav's Geodude grabbed the Venonat and wrestled it long enough for Victoria's Oddish to jump over and tie it up with vines. More out in the open, it was Beth's Water-types and Jason's Bulbasaur against the Fearow, which was clearly the strongest in the bunch. The Fearow one-hit-KO'd Beth's toughest Pokémon, Staryu, and Blake knew they couldn't keep this up.

"Grumpy, get it from behind," Blake ordered, and to Grumpy's credit he only gave him one "you're crazy" look before obliging. His Pidgeotto made it to the fight just in time—the Fearow was aiming a Drill Peck at Bulbasaur, which missed when Grumpy collided messily with the back of Fearow's head, wings splayed and feathers flying. It had to be the saddest attempt at an attack Blake had ever seen, but it worked. The Fearow screeched and spread its wings, off-balance and a second later a cloud of dust coated the two struggling birds. Blake was about to yell at Jason for poisoning his Pokémon, but a moment later both the Fearow and Grumpy flopped to the ground, asleep.

"Where's Zahlia?" Jason called to Blake as he ran past, ordering Bulbasaur to help Gina and Amaris.

"I don't know!" Blake called back, recalling Grumpy. He was officially helpless in this fight.

He had just turned to run to the Pokémon Tower in the hopes of finding Zahlia when her Gastly appeared right in front of him. It almost gave him a heart attack; that was not the kind of face you wanted sneaking up on you.

"Where's my sister?" Blake demanded, speaking too soon—even as he asked the question, a plan formed in his mind. "J! I need your Kadabra!"

Blake turned around in time to catch a Pokéball that would have otherwise deployed in his face. As it was his thumb hit the button when he closed his hand around it, and he wound up in a tangle of limbs with a surprised Psychic Pokémon. "You take Kadabra to my sister, bring her here," Blake said, not sure that either one of these Pokémon would listen to him. They were going somewhere, though, because the two of them exchanged a look and vanished together.

Meanwhile the Fearow was stirring, and Beth's voice was bordering on panic. "Guys! I need help here!"

Gav and his Cubone and Geodude were dashing over in an instant, but apparently there was an unforeseen variable. The leathery flapping of large wings was barely audible, but Blake zeroed in on it, used to listening for the sounds of flight.

"Gav, above!" he shouted, then hit the ground himself. When he looked back up he saw that Gav had managed to dive out of the way, and the Golbat was soaring back up into the sky for another aerial assault. That attack had been avoided, but there was no way they could help Beth.

It occurred to Blake then that he had not seen Orion's Pokémon involved in this struggle at all, and while a Rattata, Meowth and Clefairy were not exactly the most fearsome bunch, they needed all the help they could get. Blake rolled over onto his back, his eyes flashing to the sky to watch for the Golbat, then scanned the crowd for the eldest Fremont brother. He had to blink a few times and stare hard to make sure he wasn't seeing things when he did locate him.

So, that was why Orion's Pokémon were not a part of the battle; they hadn't even been deployed. Clearly Orion was too busy with his furious hand-to-hand combat with Zeke. No one else seemed to be watching them, too wrapped up with Zeke's Pokémon—was Blake the only one who could see this? Zeke's face was pulled into a snarl and he was bleeding freely from the nose, and when they turned around, struggling fiercely, Blake could see that Orion had a busted lip and what looked like a gouge on his face. Zeke swept Orion's legs out from under him, but instead of just falling on his ass like a normal person, Orion grabbed Zeke and took him down with him. They landed hard and Orion had apparently managed to get his knee into Zeke's ribs; Blake's brother rolled to the side, crumpled up, and as Orion moved to stand, the Golbat hit him from behind.

"Oh crap!" Blake shouted, ready to jump into the human battle since he was the only one who even knew it was happening. Just then he ran full-force into Zahlia, who had appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

"Ow! Zahlia, you—" Blake started, but stopped as he realized his sister was toppling over. He caught her the best he could, spotting the rope tied around her ankles. He helped them in an ungainly way to the ground, glancing around for something to free her with. He had to hand it to her; even teleported into the midsts of a frantic battle, Zahlia was able to think of something. It took Blake a second to realize she was jabbing her chin in the direction of a Razor Leaf nearby. Blake dove on it, nicking his fingers in the process, and tried to free her hands as carefully as he could. When she was free Zahlia ripped a strip of tape from her mouth, took the leaf from Blake, and got to work on her ankles. Blake looked up at the Orion-Zeke fight, having lost track of it when his sister arrived, and caught the single strangest thing he had ever seen.

The Golbat was swooping back down to attack, and it didn't look like Orion could take another hit like that. He was staggering and struggling to stay upright, holding his ribs, but before the Golbat could strike Orion glanced up at it. It didn't look like much, but the Golbat executed a strange mid-air backpedal, a bizarre and cartoonish motion as it veered away instead. Blake thought he was going crazy, especially since the battles still raged around him and there were no other witnesses. He glanced at Zahlia, though, and saw her look of muted horror as she stared at their brother and Orion.

"_Showing no signs, huh_?" Zeke shouted at her through the blood pouring between his fingers. Evidently Orion had gotten in a few other good punches while Blake hadn't been looking. He had no idea what he meant and before he could ask Zahlia what to do his sister executed a hand motion. Gastly swept forward and released the barely-audible high-pitched tone of Confuse Ray at the Golbat, Zeke and Orion. All three of them dropped to the ground, lowering their heads in pain, and Blake gave up trying to understand.

"Let's go!" Gav shouted from somewhere in a screeching whirl of dirt and feathers.

That was code for "teleport us the hell out of here," and in a second Blake was gone.

* * *

"Zahlia, what the hell was that?"

The last of them had been moved to an unknown, dusky patch of grass, and Kaylee wasted no time rounding on Zahlia. Blake, who had been one of the first to arrive, was only now starting to come down off the adrenaline. There was still a lot of it thundering through the veins of his companions, though, and with each new person who arrived the situation worsened. While the anger intensified around them, Zahlia's Gastly quietly finished evolving near its trainer, the process virtually unnoticed.

"We have a lot to discuss once we're sure we're safe," Victoria snapped as she started scanning the perimeter and dialing up her cell phone. "Gav, what are our coordinates?"

Gav, for his part, only showed his deep-running anger with the firm set of his eyebrows, but was focused entirely on working with his PDA. "We're on Route 12, south of Lavender."

"Anyone hurt?" Beth asked, her brown eyes still very wide. Blake wondered what sort of struggle she'd had with the overpowered Fearow in the few minutes it had taken to get out.

"Orion," Gina said, half answering Beth's question and half trying to get Orion's attention. "Are you alright?"

Blake cringed as he took in Orion's very haggard appearance. The older Fremont was on the ground, trying to sit up but only managing to prop himself up on his elbow. His left arm was still wrapped around his ribs and his shiner put Gina's to shame. "I'm fine," he said, an edge in his voice that no one but his brother dared to rise against.

"Bullshit!" Jason turned to the others, just as furious as Kaylee (who was now pacing). "We have to teleport him back to Edith's."

There was a moment of silence. Blake tried to figure out how that was possible, given their shortage of teleporting Pokémon and the considerable distance, but Gav spoke up first.

"I agree," Gav said, putting his electronics away. "Orion, take one Kadabra in a Pokéball, and have the other take you as far as it can go without tiring. Then the other one can be let out and take you the rest of the way."

In spite of the elephant in the room that was Zeke, this was bizarrely what tipped the group over the edge into a fight. "Not even going to ask to use our Pokémon anymore, I see," Amaris said coldly, though the end of his sentence was cut off by Jason snapping, "What if they can't make it all the way there? Then he's stuck." Gina by that point had rounded on Amaris—Blake only heard "he's hurt" and "—talk to Gav that way, he's done so much for—" because Kaylee drowned them all out.

"He said he's fine, shut the hell up! You think it's nice being talked about like you're not here?" She stormed over to Orion and held her hand out to him. "You've got what, bruised ribs? Flesh wound."

At first glance the sentiment seemed heartless, but Orion accepted her hand and got to his feet, his expression stormy. "Thank you," he said to Kaylee. To the others he added, "I'm fine."

"Like hell—" Jason started, but Orion turned to him and held his hand up.

Amaris interrupted whatever Fremont brother argument had been about to break out. "In other news, we're not checked out of the Center," Amaris pointed out, staring at Zahlia and Blake with open hostility. "Our things are there, too, and if we leave them we might wind up getting tracked."

"I'll go with you," Gina said, her expression tense but her anger gone. "We'll need your room keys."

Victoria had hung up her phone call with Edith a long time ago, and frowned at the two Initiates now. "That's not safe—"

"Give it a rest," Kaylee said to her, her eyes challenging. Correctly sensing that this would turn into the most vicious fight of all, Gav stepped in.

"Go," he said to Amaris and Gina. "If they give you trouble about the rest of us call me."

Gina snorted. "I plan to just dump the keys on the receptionist's table and book it. See you soon." She turned to Amaris, who looked just as unhappy as she was, and the two of them disappeared with Kadabra.

"So," Jason said, turning to Zahlia and Blake now. "While we wait."

"Now's not the time," Gav said, and Jason blew up at him.

"When _will_ it be the right time, then? When she hides something _else_ from us and we all wind up dead?"

"Jason," Orion snapped, standing taller and glaring at him with surprising ferocity. "Calm down."

"You sound like _dad_," Jason bit back, and for a heart-stopping moment Blake thought Orion was going to attack him. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared slightly, his entire frame tensing. Jason did not back down in the least, looking like he was itching for a fight. Gav was moving towards them, but it was Beth of all people who stepped into the middle of the fray that was about to start.

"Stop, stop! Please! Later, we have no idea how safe we are here. Please." She looked from face to face, including Gav and Kaylee in the mix since they were close to the Fremonts and both looked angry. "Please stop yelling."

Something like pain, and then the strong desire to cover that pain, crossed over Orion's face. He turned away from Jason and walked a little ways into a line of trees. Some of the others tensed as if to follow, but they heard him stop walking before long. No one followed him, needing to be away from him as much as he needed to be alone.

It took about a half hour for Gina and Amaris to return with all the bags. Blake figured they had packed all the things and moved them into one room before turning in the keys and teleporting back, since he was quite sure there was no way the two of them could have carried everything outside alone. As it was they dropped the bags on the ground with groans and huffs the second they arrived.

Orion returned only to take his bag. "Let's go."

Amaris had his Dex out and was pointedly not looking at anyone. "This way," he said, clearly following his GPS. Orion followed him without a word, and Kaylee was right behind him.

The others shared a moment of deeply uncomfortable silence, some looking around for direction and some just staring ahead. Beth looked to Gav and Victoria, both of whom were boiling beneath the surface but calm outside. Gina's anger had burned its course out quickly, and now she had a hand on Jason's shoulder. Jason half-shrugged it off, changed his mind, turned to her and muttered, "sorry." Then they cast a quick glance to Gav and Victoria before following the others.

That left Blake and Zahlia alone with the two group leaders, a situation Blake suddenly wanted out of. Nothing was exchanged, though. Gav and Victoria just looked at them, clearly waiting, and Blake finally turned to look at his sister.

He'd been expecting to see her soldier expression, or what he often called the "Nakawa face." Instead of a straight-backed, unreadable figure, he saw a girl who could only be described as wretched. Exhaustion and regret were plainly visible on her face. She refused to look at any of them as she started down the small path the others had cleared. Blake followed her like a duckling, and the last two moved in to tail them from behind. _We're POWs now_, Blake thought morosely before his brain started counting and dividing his footsteps.

* * *

It was kind of amazing that the group lasted all the way through their next of walking without another incident. The silence was thick and tense, and often times Blake wanted to bust out into a song and dance just to break it. Kaylee and Orion sat off on their own, though Blake got the feeling Orion barely noticed she was there. He stretched his side tenderly every time they stopped, and he was sure everyone noticed the way sweat dotted his forehead and his face grew paler while they were traveling.

Orion's refusal to accept his injuries was a thorn in Jason's side, and Gina spent most of the time talking quietly with him, trying to distract him. Beth occasionally joined them, the only one of them who was able to travel freely to all groups. Victoria and Gav kept to themselves as well, but for once they weren't huddled over the PDA together or working out logistics. They were both quiet, just focusing on the basest things. They usually poured their attention into setting up camp and preparing food, which was a good thing. Most of the others seemed too distracted to get things like that right.

By the time they were starting on the following day of travel, though, Blake knew that something had to give. Faces all around looked restless, and more than once someone started to take a breath to speak, then changed their minds.

Surprising him for the second time, it was Beth who wound up bringing the unspoken tension into the open around noon.

"Okay. We should probably just… get this all out now." She cast an uncertain glance around, but some people were already focusing in, interested. "Before it gets worse."

"Yeah," Kaylee said, considerably calmer than she'd been a few nights ago. Jason also nodded, his arms crossed and an unusually reserved look on his face.

"Alright," Gav said, the word coming out in a sigh. He rubbed his face and the silence dragged for a while. Surprised, Blake realized that he was not going to lead the discussion, and when the others clued in Kaylee asked the first question.

"When were you planning on telling us that Zeke knows who we all are?" Kaylee asked, her tone even but the words cutting.

"I didn't realize how much he knew. I had hoped to deal with the situation before any of you had to get involved."

There was a shift in tension around the group and a few terse sighs. Jason had the next question.

"How much _does_ he know? Gina, Amaris, Orion and I weren't even there for the first part." He directed his query mostly to Zahlia, but glanced at the others as well.

Zahlia was quick to respond, and Blake wondered if it was out of guilt or because she knew hiding anything was pointless by now. "He knows that there's a group of us, a large one. He doesn't know any of your names, because he grilled me for your identities before he left. He knows that we were involved at the Silph break-in, and that I got a card key from Azakawa, my father's associate."

"That's all he told you?" Beth asked, and even though she was the one who was the most civil to the siblings, Blake could still sense her reservations.

"That's all he told me." Zahlia took a deep breath, and Blake tensed, wondering if she was going to go into the other parts, but another question cut her off.

"Why did you feel like you had to go to Lavender to distract him from finding us, though?" Gina asked, frowning. Blake was a little surprised; evidently someone, probably Beth, had told the Initiates what he had divulged to the Harrisons and Larsons. To clarify, she added, "I mean, if you didn't realize he knew anything about us."

"I… thought that Azakawa would want to cover up the fact that he had essentially let me walk away with his card key. I didn't think that Zeke would have been told… anything." There were frowns of confusion around the semi-circle now, and Zahlia put her face in her hands, rubbed her forehead, and let out another terse sigh. "Let me back up."

"Please," Kaylee said, unkindly but quietly.

"Zeke is working directly for my father. Azakawa… works for my father too. I didn't think Azakawa would want to admit to father that he had screwed up so badly, and as a result, I didn't think Zeke knew about Silph at all."

"Your father," Gav said, his voice flat with a lack of understanding and his brow furrowed. "Your father the Fuchsia Gym policy-maker."

"That's his day job, yes," Zahlia said, quieter now. Blake was staring at her just as hard as everyone else, and though he knew it must be making her deeply uncomfortable, he couldn't help it. This was it—there was no turning back now, not with nine irritable teens all waiting for her to spill. He would finally find out what in the world was going on with the Nakawa family. Zahlia delivered the next line with her eyes staring unblinkingly forward, though she was looking at a space between two of her companions and staunchly refused eye contact. "My father is a high-ranking leader in a syndicate based out of Fuchsia—a crime syndicate, as I discovered last year."

Blake thought he could almost feel the breath leaving each sets of lungs all around him. There was a buzzing in his ears and a heat that rose in his face, and Zahlia lowered her eyes, clearly waiting for the axe to fall.

Kaylee was the first one to speak, but all she said was, "what?"

"Zeke's always been the one who dealt with me. He passes information from father down the line to me, but I'm kept in the dark almost completely. When I turned fourteen Zeke started giving me instructions from father. They were small at first, mostly deliveries of packages and reporting who attended certain political functions." As Zahlia spoke, Blake was peripherally amazed that no one was interrupting her in fury. Everyone seemed too rooted to the spot and desperate to learn more. "It got… less clear after that, when I was closer to sixteen. Zeke started passing along instructions that involved me getting information from people, hanging around with them, lying about who I was… the stories he told me as explanation were weak. Most of the people I had to get to know were my age, relatives of high-ranking officials, and Zeke claimed it was so father could feel out their political leanings without getting too closely involved himself. I bought it, for a while." She seemed genuinely ashamed of that, and Blake thought there was another layer to what she said. She had not bought it, necessarily, but had turned a blind eye to the holes in Zeke's stories to simplify her own life.

The first question was finally supplied. Gina shook her head out, blinking rapidly, then asked, "So, you've been… what, reporting about politicians to your father? How is that illegal?"

"It's not, strictly speaking," Zahlia said. "It's not ethical, but I only started to realize how much bigger this was when—" Zahlia's eyes flashed to Orion's face, and in that second it seemed like time froze for Blake.

He had always been observant, and at moments like this he received a flash of insight into precisely what was going on between two people. It was a strange skill to have for someone who was so staunchly unsocial as himself, but there it was right before him, spelled clear as day. Zahlia's subtle switch from discomfort to fear, and Orion's even subtler change from confusion to fatalistic dread shone between them like a neon sign that read "oh no."

"… When I got the order to find Orion."

The group exploded once again, and Blake leaned back against a tree, deciding he hated team dynamics.

"You _what_?" Jason asked, his mouth falling open.

"Wait, what?" Gina asked, her own variation very much the same.

Kaylee got to her feet and called Zahlia a very ugly name, and Gav stood up to deal with his sister. Victoria shouted for everyone to shut up and sit down, but Blake's eyes were on Orion. It didn't look like he was comprehending this news very well; he was staring at Zahlia, blinking every so often, his face slowly morphing into a frown. Zahlia couldn't seem to look away, her face more vulnerable and hopeless than Blake had ever seen it.

Meanwhile the Harrison siblings were having a heated argument. Gina and Jason had made their way over to Zahlia, and it took a moment for Zahlia to look away from Orion and to them.

"So that's why you—?" Gina asked, gesturing at the end of her sentence as words failed her.

"At first," Zahlia said, still very quiet. Blake could barely hear her over Kaylee and Gav, and moved closer so he could be in on the loop. "That's not how it is now. That's not how it's been, for a very long time."

"You're pulling the 'I was a bad guy but I've changed' card? Really?" Jason demanded, rubbing the hair at his temples hard in frustration. "How are we supposed to believe anything you're saying?"

Kaylee walked around Gav then, stopping before Zahlia. Gav hovered behind her, ready to stop an altercation, but what Kaylee said actually helped to get them back on track.

"So, you were supposed to befriend Orion. Why? Why did Zeke tell you to do that?"

Zahlia only hesitated for a second. The others were paying close attention now, the inter-group scuffles put aside. "He just, told me to watch him. See if he started to… act weird. I got the details of it from my father. It was the only job he gave me directly, instead of passing it down through Zeke."

"Act weird. How?" Gav asked quietly, and though he cast a glance at Orion, there was no way this would be delayed due to discomfort.

"Father said it would… please, can I speak to Orion alone about this first?" Zahlia asked, her composure finally breaking. She looked at Gav for permission, but it was to Orion that she spoke.

"No," Orion said softly, the first thing he had said the entire time they had been here. "Whatever you have to say is going to be shared eventually. Might as well do it now."

"Fevers," Zahlia said quietly, getting straight to the point as if she was trying to do so before she chickened out. "Nightmares. Erratic behavior, hallucinations, delusions. Aggression, competitiveness, restlessness. Changes in sleeping patterns. … A different way of dealing with Pokémon."

"That last one, what is that about?" Victoria asked.

"I don't know. Father didn't say." When the looks became disbelieving and heads were shaken in frustration, she repeated herself. "I don't know, I swear."

"Orion, you've been feeling under the weather lately," Beth said, as always managing to make something sound nicer than it really was. "Do you think that's it?" she asked Zahlia.

"I don't know," Zahlia said. "I never reported to Zeke about Orion at all. The first time I saw my brother in months was two days ago."

"Like we're supposed to believe that," Kaylee said venomously.

"You really didn't tell your brother anything about Orion, or any of us?" Gina asked, looking like she desperately wanted to believe it.

"He asked me about Orion," Zahlia said, quietly. "And I said he was fine. Nothing unusual. That's all."

"Nothing unusual" hung in the air around their group, a choking blanket of disbelief and uncertainty as the questioning took a different turn.

"So, if your father's syndicate is based in Fuchsia, and believe me, we are opening that can of worms later," Gav said, "why is your brother in Lavender? Who else is in there?"

"Just Zeke. He's stationed there alone. He's the only one, other than my father, whose location I actually know."

"Your father is in Fuchsia?" Gav asked.

"Yes."

"So you didn't know you'd run into Azakawa in Silph, and the decision to steal his key card was spur-of-the-moment."

"Yes."

Gav left it at that, and genuine silence hung low over everyone. Blake was torn between getting closer to his sister, putting a hand on her shoulder and comforting her, or staying where he was and allowing his complex cocktail of emotions to ferment. The indecision made up his mind for him, and he remained where he stood, watching as his sister rubbed her forehead and hid her eyes.

"I don't think she should be part of this group anymore," Kaylee said, her blunt words slicing through the exhausted silence and electrifying the group again.

"Kaylee," Beth said gently, but Kaylee ignored her.

"She obviously can't be trusted. She had all this time to come clean to us, and she's only sorry she got caught."

"I'm not seeing very many good reasons to trust either of the Nakawas anymore, no," Amaris agreed, and Blake felt a spike of anger and confusing shame at being paired with his sister in her guilt.

"Please, stop," Gina said, pressing her palms into her eyes. "We're all stressed and tired. Just stop for now."

"On the other hand," Amaris said, still cool-headed and logical while everyone else heated up, "what's to say she won't wind up cracking and talking about us if she does just walk away?"

Gina did a double-take. "What are you saying?"

"I don't mean I want to _kill_ them or anything!" Amaris said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, why should we trust them to just walk away from here, even if we told them to go? I vote they stay."

"House arrest," Blake said, realizing it was the first time he had spoken. It got everyone's attention and a deeply uncomfortable look crossed over Gav's face.

"We're not jumping to any conclusions," Gav said to Blake, then turned to Kaylee. "And we are _not_ making any decisions right now."

"I think Orion has the most reason to be upset," Kaylee growled in a soft voice. "Doesn't anyone care what he thinks?"

Blake realized it then, and found himself rolling his eyes. A surge of annoyance twitched in him at Kaylee's behavior. Perhaps he was mistaken, but if he wasn't, it seemed so petty to make this about something as personal as feelings.

"I'm fine," Orion said quietly, surprising everyone yet again. He had been utterly silent since his only comment quite some time ago, and now most eyes were on him. Zahlia was still looking staunchly at the floor, and Orion didn't seem interested in making eye contact with her just yet as he slowly continued. "I'll be fine," he said again. "We've all had secrets. We all have—" he seemed to censor himself there, and continued a little haltingly, "screwed up families, as it turns out. Except you, Gina." Gina offered him a wan, sad smile, but Blake was just baffled at Orion's abrupt return to his normal, gentle self, and even a little stab at a joke. "You can't honestly tell me the rest of you would have been thrilled to share if it had been you."

A few things happened at once. Kaylee stormed off into the woods, and in the other direction Zahlia stood up, mumbled, "excuse me," and sped-walked into a different line of trees. Jason made a sound of protest, then paused, and Amaris let out an exhausted groan. "Wonderful, so we're all hunky-dory now."

"No, we're not," Gav said quietly, the weight of those words apparent. "But we're dealing with the rest of this later. Right?"

The others seemed to recognize that the question was rhetorical, and silence fell over them once more.


	16. Dividing Themselves :Zahlia:

Chapter 16: Dividing Themselves

(Zahlia Nakawa)

Orion hadn't slept well ever since the group had returned from Lavender. Zahlia knew this because she hadn't slept well, either. She could see the light on under Orion's door and hear him talking angrily in fragmented sleep-sentences whenever she passed by on her way to a late-night training session.

Training with Haunter was strange and a little disorienting. He was quicker now, more likely to do flips and vanish quietly to reappear behind her, attempting to play pranks. Gastly had been somewhat mellow and aloof, and not for the first time Zahlia wondered exactly what else changed in a Pokémon when they evolved.

She had told the others everything, and now that it was done she found herself left quite alone. Even Gina, who had continued to visit her for a while after the Silph incident, seemed to be keeping her distance in a subtle way. The younger girl tended to suddenly get busy, fiddling with her Dex or looking for something around the room whenever Zahlia entered. Zahlia often caught a look of guilt on her face when she did this, but she was not upset at Gina, or at anyone else, for treating her differently. All things considered, they had let her (and poor Blake, who had been incriminated along with her) off easy.

That was what she told herself, anyway. Some days it even helped.

It was a mundane Tuesday night when Haunter vanished into mist and didn't return. Concerned, Zahlia checked her watch. It was going on four a.m. and she didn't want to wake the others, but paranoia had become her bread and butter as of late. When five more minutes had elapsed and he had not returned, she started to look for him around the perimeter of the house, calling to him in a stern whisper. She was on the last unexplored side of the cottage, agitated beyond belief, when he drifted out through the wall and back in. Evidently it was just to let her know where he was. Confused, Zahlia glanced up at the nearest window and knew without thinking that it was Orion's. She'd spent more time than she cared to admit out here, trying to listen for signs of illness through his wall. Put off and confused, she let herself in through the back and crept along the hall to Orion's room.

She thought the door would be locked, but it wasn't. Pushing it open very slightly, Zahlia peered in around the edge and caught sight of Haunter's large, violet hands drifting disembodied around Orion's temples. Orion was clearly still asleep, but seemed to be twitching in the clutches of a nightmare, sweat beading along his brow. Alarmed, Zahlia stepped the rest of the way in, and though she'd made no sound, Orion snapped awake at once.

Haunter suddenly seemed to sense this was overstepping personal boundaries and spiraled away through the ceiling before coming back down to hide behind Zahlia. Before she could say anything Orion was on his feet, sheets cast to the ground and a hard gaze fixed on them. She peripherally noticed that he liked to sleep shirtless—and apparently he was a boxers sort of guy.

Orion maintained his wide-eyed, openly suspicious look. "What was it doing?"

"Are you okay?" she asked, cutting him off partway. She turned to glare at Haunter, baffled, and her Pokémon vanished to escape the awkwardness.

"I don't know. What did you make it do?"

Zahlia opened her mouth to defend herself, then decided to count back from ten instead. "… Nothing. He came here on his own." A bizarre theory came to her mind then, and she frowned. "… Were you having a nightmare just now?"

"Been having those all night. Your Pokémon doing that to me?" he asked, his voice still edgy.

Zahlia, however, was frowning at the place Haunter had just vanished into. "… I think he was trying Dream Eater. Maybe he wanted to help you."

"Help me by using an attack on me." Orion's tone was deadpan and he still had not blinked. Zahlia could normally beat anyone at a staring contest, but even she was starting to feel uncomfortable and ferreted in.

"It's not just an attack. The channelers in Lavender often use them for… troubled sleepers," she said, amending her statement and changing the last words from "psychotherapy." Haunter had returned and appeared to be brave enough to linger a little closer to Orion now.

"Sure," Orion barked back, trying to wave Haunter off and passing his hand right through. "Like I'm supposed to believe that."

He had brought up the unmentionable, and the tension in the room doubled as Zahlia tried not to look like she was avoiding eye contact. Her shame was her own business, and she kept her eyes on Haunter as if studying him. After a long moment, Orion spoke again, his sentence a terse sigh.

"I'm sorry—I didn't mean that."

Zahlia felt her throat close around hot emotion, not because she felt offended, but because insanely, he felt the need to apologize. It was absurd—it was also unbearably Orion.

"You have a right to be angry. It's fine."

Orion frowned at that, the moonlight throwing the bags under his eyes into sharp contrast. "I don't want to be."

They left it at that, with nothing else to say on either end, and Zahlia quietly excused herself. Once outside the door she listened to the unusually loud sound of Edith's Spearow cuckoo clock ticking in the hall, marveling at the fact that the human brain could so easily tune out sounds like that when they weren't needed. _Habituation_, she thought, the word for that phenomenon coming to her brain. _Our own little pieces of evolution._

When Haunter and she were outside again, Zahlia turned to him and crossed her arms. "Hope you're pleased," she said quietly. "That's what you get for completely ignoring people's personal boundaries." Haunter didn't seem guilty or concerned now that he was away from Orion, and was forming lazy loops in the air. "What did you do to him?" Zahlia asked, narrowing her eyes now and snapping her fingers in the air to get his attention. "Repeat," she said, tapping the fingers of one hand into the palm of her other. She seemed to have to remind Haunter of a lot of their hand signals post-evolution.

What Haunter did next Zahlia had not anticipated at all, though after the fact she would kick herself for not foreseeing it. Haunter swooped toward her, and before she could step backwards she was there. She was staring at broken shards of glass, some kind of stinging scent filling her nose. She froze in her tracks, wanting to head outside, but then her father was there, so suddenly, as if he had materialized out of the still, tense air. His face was a myriad of bruises, red blossoming in his left eye from ruptured blood vessels. His blue eyes snapped to her face, cold, accusatory, barely believing that she was really here. She took half a step back, then another. _Get out!_ he barked suddenly, starting for her, and she tripped, fell at an awkward angle, glass biting into her hand and fear erupting in her. _Get the hell out!_ She flew into a standing position, wanting nothing more than to obey, and in that moment Zahlia fell back out of the vision just as she had turned to flee out the door.

She was shaking, her eyes wide and unseeing for a moment. It was a while before she could blink herself back into reality and comprehend her Pokémon before her who seemed completely unaware of her distress, looking more proud at what he had accomplished. Zahlia waved him off and sat down hard on the ground, not bothering to try for the bench a few feet away.

Now that she was herself again, things didn't match up. Nothing like the memory of that night had ever happened to her. Her own father was not the blond, blue-eyed aggressor she had seen in the vision, but regardless she had recognized Nathan Fremont at once. Somehow she had just been given a flash of what Orion must have been dreaming about when Haunter drifted in through his wall to assist.

"Don't do that to him, ever again," Zahlia snapped at her Pokémon, managing to get his attention from where he was drifting near a tree. Though it had become much harder to impress upon her Pokémon the gravity of certain concepts, this one seemed to hit home. The edge of Haunter's mischievous grin seemed to downgrade, and she could almost see some of her morose Gastly companion showing through. "It's bad. It's wrong. Don't do that to anyone."

When she crossed back through the hallway after the end of her training session hours later though, the sun just cresting over the Viridian Forest, she took note that there were no sounds of nightmarish distress from Orion's room, for once.

* * *

The next morning Victoria and Gav were at it again, papers clutched in their hands or stuffed under their arms, cups half-full of cooling caffeinated beverages. Victoria's red hair was piled messily on her head and a few long strands had escaped, which she would toss behind her shoulder in a twitchy, irritated gesture whenever they drifted too close to her hands. Half of Gav's shirt collar was turned under, and Kaylee only tolerated this for so long before she went over to fix it. Zahlia wondered vaguely when she would notice that he had also done up his shirt buttons incorrectly that morning in a half-awake stupor. Though the Harrison siblings had the kind of vital skin that didn't normally show bags beneath the eyes, Gav had passed his body's threshold for rejuvenation quite a while back, and looked particularly like death warmed over this morning.

"Viridian is the best lead," Victoria said, shivering slightly the way people who are seriously sleep deprived do. "We don't know if it's the same P. Izagata, but none of the other leads are even close."

"It's just odd that the other workers aren't popping up anywhere in our searches, and P. Izagata is. Doesn't jive to me." Gav ran a hand across his day-old stubble, trying to take a sip from the no doubt ice-cold coffee in his cup and making a face.

The subject of the morning was laid-off Silph workers. Of the files they had pilfered from the computer, some had contained a list of employees who had been let go for rather dubious reasons. Gav had been the one to notice it first. R. Asuka had never been cited for a misdemeanor in his twelve years with the company, then was suddenly fired for belligerent behavior to a superior. In spite of an exemplary record that made Jason wonder aloud if she even had a life outside of work, Q. Fairchild's position was terminated due to "budget cuts"—but no one else from any of the other overfilled departments on her floor had been handed the same fate. The "budget cuts" excuse was tacked on to a number of employee records, and Victoria (ever the economist) had poured herself into research about the company and their earnings, discovering rather quickly that Silph Co. had no reason to be letting anyone go—their figures were up, and had been steadily climbing for the past ten years with no sign of decrease in the future. Even without the backup facts she had found, though, it was a no-brainer. Any company that dealt with Pokémon merchandise, and especially the most famous of those companies, would be doing nothing but booming business.

If that hadn't been odd enough, they had quickly discovered that R. Asuka, Q. Fairchild, and every worker who had been laid off or let go under odd circumstances, was mysteriously quiet now. Many of them didn't pop up except for the most basic of things in their searches (things like old Silph articles from years past when one of them had given a quote about some new product or exhibition.) None of them seemed to be emerging post-Silph, and even with their considerable search-engine-fu, Victoria and Gav couldn't seem to scare up current addresses.

That was, except for P. Izagata—but according to Gav, this lead was dubious at best. Zahlia watched the two debating the issue from a reflection in the window, and let her eyes refocus to the training battle going on outside between the Initiates. She wondered if they should even call them that, anymore—Jason, Gina and Amaris had not done anything to further their own master journeys in so long. At that moment the three were stuck in a rather predictable stand-off; Charmander was dodging attacks from Wartortle while going after Bulbasaur, who in turn was pursuing Wartortle. Gina and Jason seemed to think this was hilarious, doubled over with laughter, and Zahlia could see Amaris rubbing the bridge of his nose with an expression that could only be described as "why me?" With Orion's moods and nightmares, Victoria and Gav's increased workaholism and everyone else avoiding her and Blake, it was nice to see some of them behaving normally, at least.

Even though she was not actively paying attention to Gav and Victoria's conversation, Zahlia was still perfectly aware of what they were saying to each other now. It was a leftover skill that had been drilled into her head by her father for the jobs she was sometimes sent on, and though it was something that made her feel awkward, it was not something Zahlia could turn off.

"Alright fine, P. Izagata it is. Zahlia?" Zahlia turned slightly to glance at Gav over her shoulder. "Could you get the others from outside? It's meeting time." His face was still rather impassive, but it was the most anyone had said to her in a long time, excluding her late-night encounter with Orion. Still, she couldn't help but catch the way Victoria gave him a searching, confused look as she opened the window and leaned out, calling the three trainers in. She also didn't miss the way their playful smack-talk to one another halted abruptly, to be replaced by uncertainty when they realized who was addressing them.

When everyone was assembled inside, Zahlia closed the window and stood with her back to it. Blake was in a corner a little ways away. He had taken to standing off on his own rather than near her, perhaps deliberately but perhaps not.

"Victoria and I have been talking," Gav started, and Kaylee muttered something that sounded like "instead of sleeping" to his side. "And we propose that the next stop on our fieldwork should be Viridian, in pursuit of the best of the former Silph employee leads."

"Mr. Izagata?" Gina asked, twisting her hair around her hand and pulling a blade of grass from it.

"That's the one," Victoria said. "Obviously we'll have to go heavily disguised, and not all of us should approach Izagata. Having a foolproof escape plan is also top priority."

"The odds of this man giving information about us back to Silph is not likely, if we can trust his file," Gav continued, pulling out a much-abused, marked-up and folded sheet of paper from the pile under his arm and reading off it. "Izagata was apparently fired pretty abruptly after 20 years with the company. If this is the same Izagata who is now living in Viridian, he'd been pretty steadily out of work in spite of his history with Silph, and only recently got an entry-level job at a supermarket."

"Ouch," Beth said, grimacing. "Yeah, sounds like he definitely didn't leave Silph on the best of terms."

"To say the least," Victoria said, finally breaking down and taking the clip out of her hair to recapture the rogue strands. "This is, of course, if we can trust the files. Those are the key words there. It doesn't seem like there would be reason to lie in files that are already hidden in an office behind a tapestry, but who knows how many layers of secrets and cover-ups there are in Silph."

"Cover-ups among the cover-ups," Jason said, nodding. "Possible. So, we're all heading to Viridian?"

Here was the uncomfortable pause Zahlia had been expecting. A few people glanced at her before they could stop themselves, and some were pointedly not looking. A few, in particular Orion and Blake, looked too mentally and physically exhausted to react at all.

"It would be… better if we all went," Gav said, glancing at Victoria, who nodded. Zahlia was struck again by how cohesively they worked as a unit now. "We thought about leaving some of our number behind, but it would be wiser if we were all available for firepower backup if anything happens." At the look on Beth's face he clarified, "not that there should be anything like that. Still—"

"We have a shitty track record of avoiding danger," Amaris supplied blandly.

"… To put it succinctly," Gav finished, quirking the corner of his mouth in almost imperceptible irritation.

A few more pairs of eyes glanced at Zahlia, and some at Blake, before Jason spoke up for the rest of the group with a shrug. "Fair 'nuff. When we leaving, and who all is gonna actually talk to Izagata?"

"We're leaving today," Victoria said. "So right after this let's all shower and pack. When we get to Viridian we want to avoid checking into the Center at all, if possible. This will be a one-day venture and we want to be out of there before nightfall the same day we arrive."

"Smart," Amaris said, managing to make the compliment turn into an insult by the way he looked surprised while saying the word. He got up though, stretching his leg slightly. Orion, who had pointedly not said anything to anyone, stood up next, and Jason shot him a brief, confused look before he frowned and got up as well. The others took their lead and started to stand up, and Victoria said her last part as an afterthought, as Gav was pulling her aside for what looked like another serious and unpleasant talk: "We'll determine how to divide up the group on the road."

Zahlia couldn't help the small, ironic smile that came to her face—in many ways, they didn't even need help dividing themselves.

* * *

The journey to Viridian was relatively quick, as they had all headed away from Edith's cottage to the nearest city at least a few times in the past many months of their stay. Zahlia recalled how they had struggled to find their way through the underbrush the first day they had met Edith, and the way Amaris had appeared to challenge Gina to a battle. In a strange, serendipitous way, their entire group had been in close proximity that day, though they had no idea at the time that Amaris would be joining their ranks in the future or whether or not Edith would take to them.

When they neared the city, they fanned out. Gina and Amaris, complete with their disguises, headed in first and went to go wander around town, keeping to a strict perimeter in case they were needed. Jason went off on his own in a different direction, and was told to avoid talking to people and buying things if it could be helped. Beth and Blake, the oddest of combinations, went to eat together in a diner, and Zahlia cringed imagining how uncomfortable that meal was bound to be. That left Kaylee, Orion, Zahlia, Gav and Victoria. Zahlia was expecting Kaylee to "babysit" her and Orion to prevent any ugly altercations, but to everyone's shock Gav said, "Kay, you go hang out in the coffee shop near the Mart."

"What?" Kaylee asked, evidently unable to prevent herself from blurting out the question. She glanced at Zahlia and Orion, who looked at each other, the uneasiness apparent between everyone.

"We'll call if we need you," Gav continued, making a valiant but utterly pointless stab at keeping things neutral.

"Uh…" Kaylee said, shaking her head. "So what, you and Victoria are gonna go question Izagata, and Orion and… Zahlia, are going to go off somewhere else?" Zahlia would never give something like that away on her features, but she felt the urge to make a face at the way Kaylee paused before saying her name, like she was some sort of evil spirit to invoke.

"No. Orion and Zahlia are coming with us," Victoria said, and this time Kaylee's mouth did drop open.

"We are?" Orion asked, a bit of his old self showing through at just how genuinely baffled he looked in that moment.

"Yes," Victoria said, now starting to sound irate. "Remember, time limit. Now, come on. The less time we spend in Viridian, the better. We'll all be in touch."

Kaylee looked for all the world like she wanted to argue, and with what appeared to be incredible effort, stalked off towards the city.

That left the four of them and their uncertain silence. "Victoria and I are gonna do the talking, but we want you around in case we need you."

"Respectfully," Orion said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and wincing at some unknown ache, "what help can I be?"

"If Izagata is surprisingly helpful, we might need to hear more about your symptoms. Zahlia, you… it might be better if you tell your story yourself, should we need it."

Zahlia couldn't help the slight look of confusion that came to her face as she tried to figure out where Gav was coming from. The connection between her immediate family and Silph was there, but her knowledge of it was tenuous, and she had already told them everything that she knew.

It clicked then, in the way Gav ushered them off a bit early from their designated waiting spot, and the way even Victoria was pointedly avoiding her eyes, something the brash redhead normally never did.

This was actually a brilliant tactical movement on their part, and a wry smile came to Zahlia's face as she analyzed it. They had no reason to believe that Zahlia had really told them everything. She had dug herself that grave. If Izagata saw her and recognized her, they would have a rare opportunity to accomplish two goals: forcing information out of Izagata by showing her up as proof that they knew what they were talking about—and perhaps catching Zahlia in more lies if Izagata knew more about her than she had divulged. Hell, perhaps it was even because Gav and Victoria didn't trust her out of their sight.

The sour feeling in her stomach and throat must have shown on her face more than she thought, because when Zahlia caught Orion looking at her, she thought she saw a brief look of complicated regret before he, too, looked away.

* * *

Mr. P. Izagata's story was an objectively sad one. After working in the ball tech department for 20 years, climbing the ladder until he had a comfortable position and a fair amount of pull, he had been abruptly let go. From there, if this was the same Izagata, he had traveled swiftly away from Saffron, leaving a few distant relatives but not having to worry about the muss and fuss of relocating a wife and children. Izagata had apparently been one of the many Silph workers married to his job, which explained how he had managed to attain his former position. Gav had theorized that he'd been living on government aid until he landed the job at the QuickMart in Viridian the past summer. The only piece of news that featured him was a quote taken a few months back about a heroic house-fire rescue in Viridian: apparently Izagata thought that the team of firefighters and their Pokémon had shown "exemplary bravery" when coming to the assistance of a trapped elderly woman. There was nothing news-worthy he had done prior, apparently. Izagata had been more of a behind-the-scenes kind of man.

They found his place easily, a run-down little condo with nothing by way of security and very limited parking even by Viridian standards. His was number 112, on the ground level, and before they approached it they stopped to regroup.

"We know what we're saying, right?" Gav asked the small group.

"Nothing," Orion said simply, a wan smile on his face. "Unless Izagata asks something specific. Even then we only give out very limited information."

"What he said," Zahlia said blandly, her eyes trained on Izagata's door. There was a small Lapras welcome mat laid out in front with half of the bristles ripped out. To think, this man had once been making six figures.

It took Izagata a little while to answer the door. When he did come out, the smell of fried food and the sound of a news program playing through radio static preceded him. He was a tall man, but wiry, with white shot through his black hair and a kind but tired set of wrinkles around his dark eyes. "Yes?"

"Mr. Izagata?" Victoria started, peering up at him through the dark curls of her wig.

"Yes, that's me. I don't believe I know any of you, are you new to the neighborhood?"

They had decided it would be best to just dive right in. If they didn't have the right Mr. Izagata, it was better to know sooner than later. "You were the only person we could find," Victoria began delicately, "everyone else seems to have… gone into hiding, for lack of a better term." Zahlia could see the beginnings of uncertainty playing across Izagata's face, but he still seemed friendly and puzzled, like this might be a prank. Or perhaps he was playing dumb in the last dregs of denial that this was really happening. "We need to talk to you about Silph—_really_ talk to you."

The change that came over Izagata's face was immediate. The wording of their first line of questions had been carefully crafted to be imprecise but still suggestive, and Zahlia honestly hadn't expected so strong a reaction so soon. "No. I'm not interested. Thank you, goodbye." He started to close the door and Orion surged forward, putting his foot in the way, then reaching out to catch it with his hands.

"Please," he said, the edge of desperation in his voice surprising Zahlia. "If you know anything at all, please. I need help."

Gav and Victoria shot each other a look and braced themselves, but all Zahlia could do was hold her breath. Izagata's fingers were still clutching the door and the jamb, his knuckles twitching under his skin from the strain of his grip. Orion was staring through the small opening imploringly, the only one of them who could see inside.

When Izagata finally spoke up, it was in a hush. "If you really want information, look in Vermillion. Now please, don't ever come back here. If I ever see you again I'll move, and this time I'll cover my trail like the others."

The door closed in their faces then, and none of them could seem to summon forth the words to open it again.


	17. Holding It For a Friend :Jason:

Pokemon Scarlet

Chapter 17: Holding It For a Friend

(Jason Fremont)

Vermillion felt like a city built over a graveyard, or an old war zone, which Jason reasoned were both pretty similar anyway. It also felt sort of like he'd blatantly skipped school and was now sneaking back on campus to retrieve his books, hoping not to be seen. All-in-all, Vermillion felt about as far away from a home as it was possible to be.

Orion seemed to feel the same way. Both Fremont brothers had "temporary" brown dye in their hair—Jason used the mental air quotation marks because with blonde hair, "temporary" could become "awkwardly tinged in a semi-permanent way."

The group was once again aiming to avoid staying in any Pokemon Centers, but with instructions as vague as "go to Vermillion" from Mr. Izagata, that was looking like a pipe dream. They'd never had such broad parameters on a mission before, and the aggravation it caused certain members of their group was really starting to show.

"Alright, so when do we start simply barging into people's homes and questioning them like it's completely normal?" Amaris asked, his teeth on edge behind his stern jaw. Jason wondered if he should bring up one of the numerous pieces of trainer trivia he'd learned—fifty years ago when Red was traveling Kanto, there was a much more "open door" policy towards young trainers—but decided against it.

"Well," Gav said patiently, flipping through electronic pages on his PDA, "I'm plotting out a map now that we're receiving data from the Town Map application. We'll be narrowing it down soon."

"Huzzah," Amaris drawled, and Jason rolled his eyes. If Drake was getting on Gav's nerves, it didn't show.

"Gonna just, y'know, put this out there," Gina said, glancing to the Fremont brothers. "But the Gym is probably a place we can't really afford to overlook."

Jason had been expecting this, and was largely unflapped by Gina's idea. "Yup," he said simply. "Though hey, maybe if we're lucky dad and Vincent are both gone."

"Half lucky," Gav said, eyes scanning his screen. "Newest news feed says Fremont is away, but Warren is actually accepting challengers."

Jason and Gina groaned softly in counterpoint, then looked at one another. They both had experienced the same urge—that deeply ingrained, Master Journey, trainer Initiate _need_ to go challenge a Gym leader for a badge. Jason was glad he wasn't the only one. With every Big Eight city they entered, Jason couldn't help being hyper-aware of the Gym, as if that and not City Hall was the core of the community.

In a way, it was. Gym leaders and mayors had always worked hand-in-hand (or sometimes hand-to-throat) when it came to negotiating Pokemon involvement in government projects. The slogan about Gym politics in their government was an overused cliche for a reason: "screw the people, save the Pokemon."

"We honestly should try there first," Victoria said. "It's our strongest lead and who knows how long we have here."

"Our days are numbered," Blake said with his morose, deadpan humor—the first thing he'd spoken aloud in a group setting in ages. Sometimes Jason even forgot the Nakawas were still there, as shameful as it was—they'd gone from quiet to eerily silent, floating along the periphery of their group like Zahlia's Haunter.

The group took the metro line to the Gym district, extremely conscious of security cameras at the entrances and exits. "Keep your head down" was their group motto in more ways than one. They emerged from the underground into the sourceless, cloudy noon light, and yep, there it was.

Jason didn't actually have a whole lot of memories from his childhood in Vermillion, but this was definitely one of them—perched on broad shoulders and headed on a bumpy ride towards those doors. He supposed he'd been primed to be a trainer from day one if that was what sprang to his mind easiest, even over family dinners or the blue ink incident Orion had told him about in the middle of one of his recent fevers.

The place _was_ pretty striking, objectively. It was one of the Gyms that had kept its appearance relatively unaltered over they years, though the colors had been touched up and darkened. Jason liked the look—without the crayon-box bursts of bright red, yellow, blue and green, the place looked much more impressive and imposing. The doors were navy blue now, and the lightning bolt painted across the front was an aggressive, metallic gold. The crimson red frame was surrounded by two huge arches of electricity that zig-zagged up asymmetrically to cross in the middle of the building, over the door. Jason had always loved how they didn't perfectly match—the Gym's design was a little chaotic, a little unpredictable, just like the element it housed.

The enormous plate-glass windows from ceiling to floor were definitely still there, though, and Jason felt a little exposed as the group shuffled off to the side of the busy road to stare at it.

"One of us who… isn't Jason or Orion could go in," Beth suggested. "Well… or me. Water types and all."

"Yeah," Victoria said slowly, eyes still trained on the structure across the street. "But we have to have a reason to be there."

Amaris sighed again, rubbing the bridge of his nose. When he spoke, however, it was with measured tones, as if trying to be patient and suffering much pain because of it. "We'd… do best to try to get into the back area, wherever the supplies and files are stored."

Orion gave a short, amused snort. "Vincent Warren, keep files? No way. Dad always took care of… well, _everything_ for him."

"Oh? Okay, good to know..." Victoria prompted, turning to Orion. "So, what _is _at the back of the Gym?"

"I… don't actually know," Orion admitted, sounding perhaps a little embarrassed. "He never really let me back there. Just to one section, where the cleaning supplies are. I never had keys to the other parts while he was away."

Gav smoothly steered the conversation away from the depressing waters of Nathan Fremont's substandard parenting. "Okay. Perhaps the Gym isn't the best place to start, then." When he spotted Amaris' eyes widening in affronted disbelief at their wasted travel time, Gav put up a hand. "We're in the right district though, I think." He turned to Orion. "Where's your dad's place from here?"

"Not too—" Orion began before the realization sank in. "Oh, no. Gav. No."

"He's out of town," Gav said, trying to be soothing but failing.

Beth stepped in instead, taking Orion's arm. "If you like you and Jason can stay somewhere else while we look. We'll be careful."

"… Actually…" Gav said, looking like he'd just kicked a box full of puppies, "we… sort of need him."

"Why?" Kaylee blurted, and Gav did a short double-take to her, taking in her defensive expression.

"Kay… you know how this works. The one with the most logistical knowledge never gets left behind. It would be like… purposefully _not_ using all our resources."

That finally snapped Jason out of the concerned lull he'd been in while watching this discourse. "Would'ya maybe _not _refer to my brother as a 'resource'?"

"I'll go," Orion said with finality, putting his hands in the air to halt the discussion. He looked sort of queasy, but his face was also set.

Zahlia, who had been staunchly silent for even longer than Blake, spoke up. "We should perhaps leave some of us here to make sure Warren doesn't leave the Gym." She glanced at Orion for confirmation. "He… you had mentioned, sometimes he would visit your father's house for supplies while he was gone, right?"

Kaylee spoke over Orion's reply of "right," her face a little redder than it had been before Gav's comment. "Sorry to break it to you, but no, you _won__'__t_ be getting an opportunity to split off from us to run and—"

"_Kaylee_," Gav said, his voice quiet but stern. It was a mark of how actually angry he was though—he'd used her real name, and he was normally the most staunch about their aliases.

"_What?_" she snapped back, nowhere near as quiet. Jason glanced around, wondering if they were going to attract onlookers. What sort of crazy, backwards land did they live in if he was the one worried about public displays?

"Beth and _you_ will stay back here to watch the Gym, then," Victoria said, her voice cool and acidic, "since you feel so passionately about the issue."

"I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking," Kaylee hissed under her breath, and to Jason's surprise it was Gina who spoke up next.

"No… you're really not." She looked unhappy but calm. "Now's not really the time to—"

"Don't _you_ start telling me what to do next," Kaylee snapped, and Beth moved to stand next to her, some silent communication passing between the Lancaster sisters. Kaylee snorted. "Don't you all have some breaking and entering to do?"

* * *

It was a tense and silent group that made their way to the Fremont's home. Jason felt uncharacteristically introspective as he stared at the backs of his friends' heads. Though Gina had declared that Kaylee's prejudice against Zahlia was not the majority vote, Jason had to admit Kaylee had a point. No one had been explicitly _bad _to Zahlia or Blake for a while, but no one had really been good to them either. The truth lay somewhere between the two girl's opinions, and Jason had always been uncomfortable with shades of grey. Something should either be true or not true. Simple as that.

He slowed his pace by a half-step so he would draw level with the expressionless Nakawas. They both turned to look at him in unison, which was a little creepy, but Jason offered them a genuine smile and put his hand, very briefly, on Zahlia's shoulder. He could see the surprise that flashed through her eyes for just a second before he quickened his pace again, not wanting to crowd them or make them uncomfortable.

_Whoa, _Jason thought, a little bewildered. _Was __that __actually__ tactful?__ Go__ me, __I __leveled __up._

They listened outside the door of the house, and Jason tried to drum up memories of the place from when he had lived here, but nothing came to him. Orion slipped his fingers under the overhanging lip of one windowsill, feeling the underside and frowning. His hands emerged, empty. "Spare key's gone," he noted.

"Alright," Gav said, deferring to Orion for the next best way to break into his home.

"'Round back," Orion said, keeping an eye out for any onlookers. Jason couldn't shake the feeling that it was incredibly risky to do this in broad daylight, but their window of opportunity when his dad was still away and Warren was actually at the Gym could very well be small. Orion jimmied a window open and had already started to climb up when Zahlia's hand shot out and seized his arm—it was a little late, though. Even though Orion hadn't touched any of the white powder on the sill, the gentle midday breeze was already sending it drifting away in little wisps.

"Aw crap," Victoria whispered under her breath, but there was little they could do about it now. The evidence was there, so they might as well get something out of it.

Orion's mouth was set in a hard line, though, and Jason put a steadying hand on his back. Being back here had to bring up some kind of pseudo-PTSD for him, and Jason hopped through after him, determined to stick close.

Gav scanned for electronic devices and picked up nothing out of the ordinary—no security cameras, anyway. It seemed a little odd that Nathan Fremont wouldn't take all the precautions possible against home invasion, but now was not the time to question it. Things didn't add up though, and being here was starting to sour Jason's stomach, his normal energized adventuring virtually gone.

They split off, Jason and Orion heading straight into the heart of the home, where his father's master bedroom was. Jason hitherto had chalked up his lack of Vermillion memories to being too young when his mom had taken him away, but the second the door opened he knew.

_Oh_.

That's right.

His training trivia didn't always just apply to Pokemon. Some of those facts were relevant to humans, too—like the one that said the sense of smell was tied intrinsically to memory.

It was a little stale in here, the room untouched and the bed made as if no one had set foot in it for at least a month. It was like opening a time capsule, and Jason was awash in the heavy scent of aftershave and… what was that, oranges? He felt his chest tighten and his breathing stutter and halt.

Jason was not crazy, so he of course knew that his father was a real man. He had seen pictures of when they were young together, mainly because there were some photos of the boys that his mother had kept that included Nathan, and it wasn't very hard to find pictures of him online since he was a prominent figure in Vermillion Gym. Jason hadn't really given it a lot of thought, though, hadn't really internalized the idea of _father _until this exact moment.

Orion looked over at him, sadly. They didn't need to exchange words. It was with a sort of perfunctory air that Jason and Orion checked everywhere else in the room, opening the barren closet and checking the desk of paperwork that still contained nothing interesting. When they were done, the others had come to join them, equally stumped as to what this place could hold—besides the obvious.

"Well, guess we better hop-to," Gav said, sounding like he was trying to channel Kaylee and failing. It felt wrong to be doing this without her and Beth—each member of their group brought something different to the table, and without Beth's endless understanding and happy disposition and Kaylee's fiery drive to push them forward, things felt a little more stiff and stagnant than usual.

Orion and Gav moved the bed aside, and Jason stepped forward into the space it had occupied.

"Not dusty," Amaris noted, kneeling down and running his knuckle across the floor. "The spaces under beds usually are."

"Detective Drake," Gina said, but the joke seemed perfunctory.

"You're right," Victoria said, glancing at Orion but speaking to Amaris. "It seems like he's been under here at least somewhat often."

"Weird," Orion said, kneeling down to fiddle with the latch. "I don't remember if it was dusty or not when I was looking down here last." He popped the little trap door open, the planks of wood tilting up slightly to allow a little window of light. Orion took a deep breath, held it, and opened it the rest of the way. Jason figured he didn't want to breathe on any more of that white dust.

"What, wait," Victoria said, frowning at what was tucked away down there. Jason moved to get a better look, as did the rest of their group. "That doesn't look like paperwork to me."

"No," Orion said, his eyebrows high in surprise. "No, it's not. He… must have moved that stuff."

A small metal case, the size of a shallow shoebox, was in the tiny compartment instead. It, too, was dusted with the white powder, but it looked as if Nathan Fremont had been hurrying. The lines were uneven and sprawling in many places.

Amaris took a picture on his Dex, but as Jason scanned the faces around the room, he knew already what the verdict would be.

"Yeah," Jason said, reaching down to pick up the box. When no one shouted and tackled him, he continued and lifted it up and out. "We're totally taking this thing, aren't we?"

"Totally," Victoria said, her voice rather deadpan. "Though I'd like to know what's in it before we split."

Orion fiddled with the clasp while Jason held it still, but after a little while of struggling he sighed. "Locked. Of course."

"Here," Zahlia said, sliding over to them on her knees and tucking her long black hair behind her ear. Or, Jason thought that was what she was doing—instead her fingers emerged with a small hair pin.

"Serious?" Gina asked from above, evidently unable to contain herself. "Oh man. That's some serious spy girl stuff right there. Cool."

Amaris made some comment like, _now__ who__'__s__ all__ detective,_ but Jason tuned him out to watch Zahlia fiddling with the small lock. It was getting pretty hot in here, and Jason tried not to sweat. It was just as impossible as it sounded, and he learned pretty quickly that no amount of telling his body "no" would prevent the drops of moisture from gathering across his forehead.

When Zahlia finally popped the lock open, Jason glanced up at her and gave her a huge grin. She managed to smile back, looking like she was half worried she'd get some lines wrong in a play. Gav kneeled down on her other side though, also smiled at her, and said, "thank you."

That was really it, and even Jason knew it. Gav was their pack leader, even though Victoria was the one who kept them all in line. If Gav was happy with Zahlia, had said she'd done well and deserved gratitude, she was back in. Jason beamed and was about to say something with just the right amount of awkward humor to break the tension, but Orion had lifted the lid on the box.

"What the hell." Jason wasn't sure who said it.

Whatever was inside the box was glowing. It was a bright blue, and it almost hurt to look at in the soft bedroom light. Jason could see what it was, though, and his brow creased in utter confusion as he cast a glance to Orion. Orion, however, wasn't looking up. His eyes were still trained with an unreadable, wary expression on the four large syringes of strange fluid.

They were definitely the most interesting things in the box, but they were not alone. There was also a length of rubber hose and a few packets of what looked like antiseptic wipes, gauze patches and a tiny roll of athletic tape. They all had places cut out for them in dark gray foam, perfectly placed, and Amaris broke the silence to make another observation. "The tourniquet is breaking a little, see…" he leaned down over Jason's head to point a finger at the small stress tear in the rubber. "Stands to reason it's been used a lot."

"Or it's just old rubber," Jason retorted, not sure why he was arguing against that point.

"Looks like the roll of tape used to be bigger, too, though, Gina said, nodding to the half-inch circumference of empty space around the roll, enough to accommodate tape that had been newly purchased.

"You're both detectives," Blake said, like he was settling the argument they'd been having earlier with definite finality. "But seriously, yeah… we knew Fremont brings this box out a lot since the powder was all messy on top of it. So… pretty sure he doesn't just look at them 'cause they're pretty."

Jason felt a little stunned at Amaris and Gina's weird moments of observational skills, and a little stupid when Blake pointed out the very obvious answer to the question about whether or not his father was just "holding this for a friend." He let out a slow stream of breath and rubbed the sweaty back of his head, twisting the short, spiky hairs there. "He might not use it himself though." He still had no idea why he was fighting this so hard.

"Anyway… if this is all there is, we need to go." Everyone glanced into the storage space, but it was indeed barren now except for the dusting of powder. "We checked the bathroom to see if he has baby powder or something, but he doesn't. Which means we can't replace the powder on the windowsill. He'll just… well, he'll just figure out that someone was here once he gets back. No getting around that unless we go buy some and bring it back here to re-do the window."

"No," Amaris said, shaking his head. "Bad enough we were here in broad daylight. He'll know we were here anyway when he goes to grab his…" Amaris waved a hand at the box, and Jason was pretty sure he was going to call it something offensive, but the boy stopped. "I could swear I've seen..." he started, more to himself than to them, and he pulled out his Dex and started searching for something.

"Not the time," Victoria said, ushering them away so the bed could be moved back. "Seriously, we need to move."

* * *

"Oh man. Oh man. We totally shouldn't have done that. Oh man."

The mantra was coming from Jason, and even though part of him was all-too aware at just how pissed off his father would be when he discovered the breaking and entering, a larger part could not wipe the stupid, broad grin from his face. The weird feelings brought on by the smell of his father's home and their odd discovery were finally giving way to the excitement he normally felt. "This is so nuts. Oh man."

"_Yes,_ Jason, we know. It's nuts. Please, _please_ shut up!" It was kind of telling that Kaylee, of all people, was the one telling him to put a lid on it. She, and he were, hands-down, the loudest and most talkative members of their group. She was still sore about the incident from earlier in the day, though, and as it always did with her, it showed.

They had opted to teleport to the woods and head back home the long way, just in case. It was becoming sort of common for them to be caught while on missions and battle their way out of tricky situations, and it was general consensus to not push their good luck. The steel case of fluorescent liquid was tucked safely in Jason's pack, and he had to resist a childhood urge he'd never really grown out of—tearing open the packaging to a toy on the car ride home, spilling twist-ties and plastic pieces all over the scruffy floor mats, or peeking under a present's wrappings days before his birthday. He wasn't even sure what he'd do with the syringes, but he just wanted to look at them again. They were pretty freaking cool.

"Jason, you were the one who wanted to steal a Masterball from Silph," Gina reminded him from somewhere to his right.

"Yeah, but, stealing from _Dad. _Right, bro?" Jason asked turning around to look at Orion and earning himself a "turn around!" from Victoria. Jason faltered once he saw his brother's face—Orion did not look at all well. He was pale and drawn again, and Jason felt his rule-breaking exuberance leak out of him through a puncture wound. _You__ okay?_ he mouthed, not wanting to draw the attention of the others. Orion gave him a wan smile and nodded. _Nervous_, he mouthed back, and Jason felt his neck and ears heat up in shame. Aw hell—of _course_ Orion would be way more freaked about what they had just done. Nathan Fremont was still like a boogie-man to Jason, scent-memory or no. He was a concept, voiceless and without substance—scary, but in a distant way. Orion, however, had lived it, and Jason was parading around talking about how dangerous it was to tick him off.

"Sorry," Jason said, wincing and turning back around. A hand landed on his shoulder though, briefly, and he didn't have to turn around to picture the patient smile his brother usually always wore—the one that had been absent more often than not as of late.

Okay, maybe he did want to see it, what with it being so rare and all. Jason turned slightly, took in the slight laughter-crinkles around Orion's eyes that vanished when he was somber, but would definitely turn into some wicked deep crow's feet in old age. _Click,_ Jason thought, favoring his brother with his own patented wide grin. _Just__ got __a __picture __of __Mew __on __Pokemon__ Snap._

Up ahead, Gav brought them back to reality. "I was gonna wait to bring this up, but since we're on the subject… I actually do _not _own a portable chemistry lab with diagnostic machines. Shockingly."

For a second Jason had utterly no clue what that had to do with Pokemon Snap, before he realized that that train of thought had been in his head. Gav was talking about the syringes, of course.

Beth laughed. "You're shattering the illusion, Gav."

"And surrendering your geek cred," Gina added.

"Point being…" Victoria interjected gently, "we're really not sure how to study this stuff."

"Hmm," Blake said, with mock-thoughtfulness. "I suppose just injecting one of us and seeing what happens is… not an option."

"You suppose correctly," Gav said, lifting an eyebrow and smiling.

Gina and Amaris, however, had slowed and were speaking to one another in hushed whispers. Jason stared openly, wondering what they were discussing. Gina's eyebrows were furrowed and one of Amaris' was lifted high, skeptical but thoughtful. Jason felt a surprising little stab of jealousy. _Hey, _he thought, making fun of himself. _Back __off __dude.__ My __best__ friend,__ get__ yer __own._

Amaris spoke up then, clearing his throat first to get the discussion floor in full. Everyone actually shut up to listen, since Amaris was one of their number who didn't speak up as often.

"If we're careful," he began, "I can get us into my uncle's labs in Pallet. I have the access codes to virtually everything, unless he changed it up."

Gav nodded, eyes drifting around through the trees. Jason knew he was both scanning their perimeter and calculating odds in his head. Victoria spoke on their behalf. "That sounds great, Amaris. When can we arrange this all?"

"Imminently," the other redhead replied, and for once, Jason could back one of his sentiments 100%.

* * *

_Author's Note: Aw yeah. You totally know this world would capitalize like mad on Pokemon-related games. Pokemon Snap totally exists. Booya._

_Also, I think I may have an em-dash problem. Seriously, is there a 12-step program for that?_


	18. If You Need Me :Gina:

Pokemon Scarlet

Chapter 18: If You Need Me

(Gina Ikeda)

"He looks a little glossier, right?"

"I guess. But maybe Sandshrew just cleaned him when we weren't looking."

Jason tilted his head and looked at Bulbasaur, mulling that over. After a moment he said, "naw, Bulbasaur's just glossy. Aren't ya, buddy?"

"I wonder if it's mating season or something," Gina mused, drumming her fingers against her thigh. The grass was cool where it pressed against her skin past her rolled-up jeans. While Bulbasaur sat meditatively in the sun, apparently impervious to Jason's words, Charmander was attempting to converse with one of Edith's Pidgeys. It seemed utterly adverse to the idea of a bright orange lizard with a flaming tail, and Gina had to wonder why Charmander was pestering it in the first place.

"Buddy," she said, frowning and tapping her thigh with her hand to get his attention. "Hey, c'mon. 'Nuff of that."

Charmander ignored her, and Gina actually chuckled, leaning back to lie down on the grass and stare up at the sky. Even after all their time together, some things never changed. In light of everything that was changing all around them, she was honestly grateful for that.

Jason and she had just finished a sparring session, but rather than rest and start again, an unspoken consensus had passed between them and the last half hour of the afternoon had turned into one of relaxation. Gina couldn't remember the last time she'd simply done nothing—she was either on housework duty, helping to sort files, training her team, or asleep. It was a wonder no one had burnt out or lost it yet, and there was an unofficial probability chart in Gina's head about who would flip out and overturn a table first. So far Kaylee was neck-in-neck with Victoria for first place, but Gav was a close contender as well. It was always the nice ones.

While the original four members of the Rocket-thwarters turned their attentions to preparing their research for the trip, the rest of the house struggled to handle the uncomfortably quick transition from Vermillion to the cottage to prepping for Pallet.

Pallet—Gina experienced a complicated twisting feeling in her stomach whenever she thought about home. She would see her mother for the first time in over a year, and would be able to catch up with all her neighbors as well. She wondered what Susie's newborn kids looked like, or if Buck had ever started that woodworking business he'd always been talking about. She made a mental note to ask Alana where she could buy a copy of her Pokemon pun book.

And there was the other side of the awkward tug. Gina and the others would be working very closely with the people, books, and machines that had been paramount in Professor Drake's life. Gina felt a hot prickle in her throat and eyes at the thought. Normally the surge of sadness she felt when thinking about him didn't sprout so quickly into blinking back tears, but this was the first time she had simply allowed herself to exist and think in what felt like months. It felt surreal to breathe deeply and blink until the clouds came back into focus. Almost crying while loafing around in the middle of a sunny afternoon didn't jive in her mind.

Gina was actually rather surprised she and Jason had gotten away with this stolen half hour of nothingness. The others did let them train when they needed to, but there was still a lot left to do before the trip to Pallet. Gina groaned softly as her brain took off to her list of things to do, unfinished tasks poking up in her thoughts and bringing the image of invasive Diglett to her mind. _Not yet_, she thought, turning over on her side as if she could also turn away from her own thoughts. _Five more minutes of this._

Jason was taking his down time to talk quietly to his Pokemon, who seemed to blossom under the attention. Nidorino kicked its back legs in the air as it jumped around in jerky little bursts. Kadabra sat cross-legged near Jason and poked him occasionally with its spoons, earning itself Jason's laughter and mock-frustration as he retaliated. Bulbasaur was the most understated, simply sitting still and occasionally cracking an eye open to look at its trainer, but Gina knew that the bond between Jason and his starter had transcended the need for displays.

"Jason," she asked from her spot on the grass, one thought rising up taller than the others. "Do you think you'll ever restart your Master journey?"

They hadn't talked about it in a while, and even though it was a given fact that they both wanted to be able to travel Kanto and fight Gym leaders again, there was a difference between wanting and doing.

"Assuming it would be possible again one day," Jason said, the disclaimer a necessary one, "… yeah, I'd totally do it. Would you?"

"I would," she said, with a little less certainty than Jason, but feeling the truth behind her words nevertheless. "If we can get past this Silph stuff—"

"And my crazy dad—"

"And Zeke and the Nakawa crime syndicate—"

"And possibly Team Rocket—"

"… Then yeah, I'd start up my journey again," Gina finished, failing at hiding her grin. Jason didn't even bother trying to cover his up, and laughed as he put an elbow on Kadabra's shoulder. It shouldn't be funny, and in reality, it wasn't at all. Without that strange, bleak humor, though, Gina was sure she wouldn't have ever made it this far.

The Pidgey flew away from Charmander, apparently done with whatever one-sided conversation they'd been having. Charmander snorted smoke and turned to walk to Gina, rolling its eyes. The door slammed open then, and Charmander jumped about a foot in the air before turning around and crouching low, hackles up. When it saw who was in the doorway it growled even more.

Charmander had never really gotten over its grudge against Amaris, and for the most part Amaris seemed to ignore this fact. "Are you two done wasting time?" he called to Jason and Gina, cool irritation on his face. "Or would you like to continue being utter dead weight in this group?"

"Dead weight, definitely," Gina responded, grinning at him and earning herself a scoff and an eye roll. She had been able to do this magical thing once or twice over the past few weeks: not let Amaris get under her skin. She had to be in just the right mood, though, and he still knew how to push her buttons better than anyone else.

Charmander let out a small barking sound at Amaris, and Amaris looked down at it. "Get over yourself," he told the Pokemon, then said to Gina and Jason, "I'm not above turning the hose on you."

Gina figured he probably meant Wartortle and water gun, and she sighed and rolled to her feet, dusting off her shirt and jeans. She had been on the receiving end of an ill-timed Pokemon deluge more times than she cared to count. Her battles with Amaris always seemed to end that way.

Jason was grumbling darkly under his breath, taking his time recalling his team as if to spite Amaris, who had once more vanished inside. Gina, however, chuckled to herself. No one else would ever pick up on it, but that last part had actually been a display of Amaris' freakish, backwards brand of courtesy—normally he wouldn't have given them a warning about the watery retribution.

* * *

It wasn't that Gina felt awkward around Edith and Jason, but something just felt wrong about looking at them while they held one another and murmured to each other, foreheads touching and arms resting lazily over shoulders and around hips. Okay, so perhaps she did feel awkward. Public displays of affection were just not her thing.

She couldn't blame them, though. Edith and Jason saw remarkably little of one another for a couple that resided under the same roof, and the group was ready to leave yet again for an unknown amount of time. Gav and Victoria were doing the last pass over the checklist, and most of the others had started to drift outside.

Amaris had questioned the necessity and wisdom of bringing along their entire group, and Gina had to agree that including Blake, Zahlia, Beth, Jason and Orion wasn't strictly needed. With two teleporting Pokemon in their midst and the relatively short distance between Pallet and the Viridian Forest, this was one of the few missions where it seemed acceptable to leave some of their number behind.

Edith had insisted they all go, though, and had cited a very good reason—even though they would have to avoid being all together in a group, it was better to have them all there in light of the professor's death. Nothing even remotely out of the ordinary had happened in Pallet since then, but probable murder was not something to take lightly at all. In the end that had made up their minds for them, and once again Edith would be on her own. Gina wondered if Edith actually needed this time to herself every so often, to return to the simple and orderly life she'd had before meeting all of them.

"Be safe," she heard Edith tell Jason, and she could clearly picture Jason's cheeky grin.

"Aren't I always?"

"Hah, no. Which is why I keep reminding you."

"Will there be a test on this later?" Jason asked. Edith's laughter was quiet and secretive, like something concealed deep in a forest.

"Yes, and I'm a harsh grader."

Their banter was alternately cute and lame, and Gina smiled to herself and moved a little farther away, giving them room. The smile didn't last long, though, and Gina turned her strange mood towards brooding about Pallet. She could never decide if she was happy to be heading home or dreading the experience. She wasn't even sure she'd know once she got there.

The walk over was as tense as the journey back from Vermillion had been, but at least there was occasional communication. The worst journey back had definitely been after Lavender Town—with Zeke heavy on their minds and a thousand different fights breaking out and stewing, Gina counted that time as the lowest point for them.

Right now Kaylee was in the lead, navigating silently through the trees and apparently relying solely on her sense of direction. Gav was checking his PDA periodically to see if they were still on track, and the soft beep it made when it synced up their current location on the map seemed to grate on Kaylee's nerves like an out-of-tune instrument. Beth was the one closest to her, apparently immune to her dark mood. Victoria, as always, was walking near Gav, though she sometimes slowed her pace just enough to hover near the rest of them. Gina wondered if Victoria was even aware she was doing it. She behaved sort of like an angry, red-haired mother duck sometimes, checking on her flock.

Though things had been a little less tense between the Nakawas and most of the rest of them lately, Blake and Zahlia still tended to hang very far back. Gina caught a short snip of conversation between Orion and Zahlia, something about Dream Eater and nightmares. Gina made a mental note to ask later.

For the time being, Jason, Amaris and she were walking in the awkward middle zone. They didn't have much to say to one another, though Jason finally broke down and pointed out, "you don't look that stoked to be going home."

"It's not that," Gina said at once, knowing full well she would not be able to articulate why she was so distracted and quiet. "Just… it's been a while. Not sure what to expect."

Jason seemed confused, but it was the most tactful way she could find to skirt around the real issue: Professor Drake. Though she thought she'd been subtle, Amaris had picked up on it. He cast Gina a brief sidelong glance, and though she meant to play dumb and pretend she hadn't noticed, she met his eyes for a moment. Amaris assessed her for a second before facing front again and saying nothing.

_This is going to be so unbelievably awkward, _Gina thought, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She could clearly imagine Amaris snapping and following through on his threat to "turn the hose" on anyone who tried to pry into his business. As they walked silently through the woods she tried not to imagine the looks, questions, and stories about the professor that were bound to bury them the second they set foot back into their small town.

* * *

Gina's thoughts, which had taken a rather fatalistic turn towards dread, evaporated from her the moment the Pallet Town wall rose into view over the treetops of Route 1. Her eyes raked over the burned patch at the top right of the entrance, where Maylene's Vulpix had sent an attack astray, then down to the trampled-flat dirt path she had walked over time and time again. The strange coral-colored rooftops of the first few blocks of houses seemed like old friends, and even though she knew she could not see it from this angle, Gina automatically tried to search out her house. She could feel the salty dust in her hair during the dry season, the grass under her hands while she tried to learn cartwheels in elementary school, and the unobtrusive heat of sunset on her back from where she would lay on her roof. She could smell the ocean and the grease fryer in the kitchen of Mulligan's.

Nostalgia punched a hole in her so deep her breath was stolen, and there was no room in her body for thoughts at all. Only hot, spiky emotion accompanied her as she swallowed convulsively and took in as much of the sight as she could without blinking.

Victoria's voice failed to call her completely back to the moment, but she made a concentrated effort to pay at least some attention. "Okay. So, Gina and Amaris, you two are expected to be here. And Gina, your mom knows about Jason. You three can go in first. There rest of us will filter in later throughout the day. You said that visitors to Pallet are at least common enough for this to not look weird, right?"

Gina nodded before she comprehended the entire sentence. Then she managed to tear her eyes away to look at Victoria. "Yeah," she said, glancing to Amaris for confirmation. "We get a fair number of visitors poking around each week."

"Just avoid the community center," Amaris said blandly, and Gina nodded in vehement agreement. "Lots of elderly women there who will grill you and gossip like mad once you've gone."

"Noted," Gav said, nodding to the Initiates. "We'll be in touch."

Gina's mind and her sights were already set back on her home. The thought of seeing her mother made her stomach lurch with a combination of eagerness and nervousness. Speaking of which—she turned to glance at Amaris and Jason. "Um, my mom will kill me if I don't go to see her first. You guys can go on to the labs if you want though, I can catch up."

"Naw, I'll stay with you," Jason said at once, glancing quickly at Amaris out of the corner of his eye. Gina supposed it made sense for the boys to be reluctant to skip off together alone.

What surprised her though, was Amaris sighing out a, "well, come on, let's go," while he glanced at the time on his Dex. Gina had not expected him to stick with her and Jason, as they had never really hung around one another in Pallet before. She had assumed that Amaris would immediately abandon group formation and branch off to take matters into his own hands, but she didn't question it.

She'd been in touch with her mother the moment they knew they would be back in Pallet soon, and it was no shock when the front door of her house burst open while they were still at least half a block away. Gina's heart leapt as her mother's familiar, frazzled red hair and freckled face appeared in the doorway, and she barely had time to think they were like a bad movie before they had jogged to closed the distance and were wrapped in a fierce hug. Her mother was saying something, but Gina honestly couldn't tell what it was.

She became dimly aware of her mom reaching out somewhere behind her and in another second Amaris and Jason had been pulled to either side of her, roped into an impromptu group-hug. She couldn't help it—she burst out laughing at the idea of how stunned both boys must be at this display.

"Come inside, come inside," her mom was saying, words registering to Gina now. "I'm totally ready for you. I was expecting more of you, actually. Come!"

Gina laughed and wiped at her eyes, unashamed and embarrassed at the same time. She cast a glance to Jason—grinning awkwardly and a little pink in the ears—and to Amaris—eyes wide and posture stiff, but otherwise completely unreadable. They had no idea what they'd gotten themselves into.

"Amaris," her mother said, smiling at him with so much warmth that Gina was momentarily floored. "My goodness, you're so tall. I know that's cliché of me to say, but, well," she shrugged and Amaris made a painful expression somewhere between polite and something that looked almost flustered—if that were possible. It didn't appear that he knew what to say, but Gina's mom was moving on. "You're Jason, right?"

"Oh, uh, yeah!" Jason said, looping his thumbs into his pockets and still smiling a nervous smile. "That's me. Nice to meet you." He got his hand stuck in that pocket for a second before he was able to successfully remove it again to shake her hand.

"You hungry?" her mom asked, directing them to the cramped living room where at least ten chairs were crushed around in a circle. "Looks like we won't be needing this many." She immediately went to haul some away and Gina, Jason and Amaris all rushed forward to help, caught up in her energy.

Before long they were situated, and Gina found she was the only one eating and drinking. The boys seemed a little too flabbergasted, though Gina couldn't imagine why. Sure, her mom came on a bit strong, but it wasn't anything particularly out of the ordinary.

Somewhere in the midst of the Q&A session her friends were recieving, though, it hit her. For Jason and Amaris, this actually _was _out of the ordinary. Amaris, as far as she knew, had never had an aunt or mother-type figure in his life, and from what Jason had told her, his own mom had been a no-nonsense, high-powered executive with a diploma from the school of tough love. Gina watched the interaction between her mother and her friends with new eyes, noting the way they fidgeted but seemed vaguely amused and perhaps even pleased under the sunlamp of her mother's unwavering attention.

"My god boys, eat! I didn't make all of this for nothing! Look, Gina hasn't dropped dead yet, so it's not poisoned. Much." Her mom put an arm around Gina's shoulders and Gina gave them a cheesy thumbs up with her free hand, and held up her sandwich with the other. Then she grinned and pointed at it the way Jason had pointed at Abra's Pokeball all those months ago, and he burst out laughing.

"Thanks, Ms. Ikeda," Jason said, finally leaning forward and taking half a sandwich. He ate with gusto, and Gina realized how odd it was for him to refuse food when he was this hungry. He must have been truly and completely out of his element.

Amaris, on the other hand, still looked uncomfortable as hell. He took a small handful of pretzels and worked on them in a perfunctory way, as if to spare her mother's feelings. Gina gave him a half-smile, which he merely stared at before looking away.

At last, though, Gina's mom was done grilling her friends. She turned to Gina and fussily brushed some of her long brown hair behind her ear, and Gina laughed into her cup of water. "Mo-om," she said in a parody of a childish whine. There was absolutely no conviction behind it, as Gina would have been hard-pressed to be upset with her mother for any reason right now, even if she busted out the baby photos.

Well… okay, Gina wouldn't be able to stand for that one.

"How long are you staying?" was the first question.

Gina had cast a glance at Amaris before she could stop herself, as this part of their mission was as much his project as Gav's now. Amaris raised his eyebrows for a moment before tentatively supplying, "probably at least two weeks."

"Oh, wow!" her mother exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "Oh, that's wonderful! I didn't think you'd be taking that much time off from your journeys. Not that I'm complaining! And now that you've said two weeks, you need to stick to it, or you'll hurt my feelings."

Gina laughed and put her face in her hands, shaking her head.

They were released half an hour later, her mom insisting that she'd have them all to herself for quite a while that night. Jason was still grinning, looking rather well-fed and generally pleased, and Amaris seemed to be a bit calmer as well.

"Man, your mom is cool," Jason said, pulling out his Dex to check in with the others. "Though I think now I can understand where you get your spazzy side from."

"Hey!" Gina said, laughing, at the same time Amaris pointed out, "they don't share any genetic material."

"Don't need to," Jason said, sticking his tongue out at Gina, then turning to Amaris. "Parents rub off on you."

Amaris snorted and rolled his eyes, looking away, and Gina was peripherally grateful he hadn't pulled the "I wouldn't know, not having any parents" card. That would have been a one-way ticket to Awkward Town.

"What I thought was weird," Gina noted, linking her hands behind her head and stretching as they walked, "is that she didn't even ask why you and I were traveling together." She lifted an eyebrow at Amaris, who was still making no sign he'd heard. Annoyed at being ignored once again, Gina turned to Jason. "I figured she'd be surprised about that."

"Heck, I'd have been surprised," Jason mentioned, still staring at his Dex. "No offense, 'maris. Well. Not much, anyway." Amaris snorted at that and Gina huffed out a quiet laugh.

Jason slowed his walk more and more until he was finally at a stop, and when Amaris prompted him with, "yes?" Jason looked up and frowned. "I'm gonna go see the others for a bit, okay?" At Gina's look of concern, he shook his head. "No, nothing bad. Just gonna, uh... relieve the Nakawas of their post with Kaylee. Dunno whose bright idea that grouping was."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Gina said, nodding and waving as Jason turned to jog back towards the entrance of town. "See ya tonight!"

She gnawed on her lip though, mulling that over in her head as Amaris and she continued to make their way through the neighborhood. Lately Kaylee had been given a sort of unofficial roster of "babysitters." Gina didn't necessarily think she'd run off and do something stupid, but her temper was shorter and shorter these days, and it was probably a good idea for her to have a "spotter" present to circumvent any explosions.

Amaris' silence had let her think to herself about group dynamics for what turned out to be fifteen minutes, and when Gina snapped out of it she frowned. "Sorry," she said in an automatic way. "Didn't mean to zone out on you."

"Oh, don't stop now," Amaris shot back, not missing a beat. "I was enjoying the extremely rare quiet."

Gina scoffed and rolled her eyes at him, then called him a series of names under her breath. She caught his half-hearted smirk from the corner of her eye, though, and the two of them settled into their usual teasing, sniping banter as they walked. It fit like an old jacket, beaten down into comfort over the years. Gina would probably never know how that transition from genuine dislike to... whatever this was, had happened.

"Nice" as it was to just walk and insult one another, she had to ask. "We're headed to the labs now, right?"

"Yeah," Amaris said simply. It didn't look like he was planning to say anything else after that, and Gina let the silence stretch. Now it felt forced, though. A few snarky comments drifted through her head, possible ways to kick-start the casual companionship they had been enjoying earlier, but none of them seemed appropriate. Finally she sighed and decided, to hell with it. Might as well capitalize on the awkwardness and bring up another iffy topic.

"So you're staying with me, Jason and mom?" she began, starting off slow. "Or with someone else in town?"

"No," he said, just as simply as before. "I'm staying in the labs."

Imagining Amaris alone in a dark, cold building, sleeping on a cot and surrounded by painful memories was actually a little more than Gina could handle. Then there was the matter of security; that place had been ransacked less than six months ago.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she began carefully.

"Yes, well, that's your opinion." Amaris had made it clear the conversation was over, but Gina begged to differ.

"Yeah, and it'll be the opinion of all the others, too. You're gonna be outvoted, might as well save time. You don't have to stay with me, but … yeah," she finished, cutting herself short at the look he was giving her now. On the surface it was exasperated and tired, but the fact that he wasn't looking away was what made her uncomfortable. She glanced away, the first one to "blink" in their weird staring contest, but when she looked back he was still studying her in a vaguely annoyed, vaguely something-else sort of way. "Take a picture," she grumbled, and he did.

"_What?_" she asked, gaping at him as he looked down at the screen on his Dex. "Jeez, I wasn't serious! Impromptu photos are not welcome!" She made a half-hearted attempt to look at the picture, and he held the device over his head in a classic keep-away fashion.

"Should have thought of that before you said anything," he replied, shrugging like the matter was entirely out of his hands. Gina gave up quickly in her short quest to see (and probably delete) the photo, realizing that the conversation was diverging. She had to metaphorically yank the reigns to get it back on track.

"You're staying with me," she said, trying for the commanding approach that had apparently worked well enough for him to go paparazzi on her.

"Well, obviously," he said flippantly. "I don't want to stay with anyone _else_ here."

The mix of urges and feeling that assailed her in that moment were almost impossible to sort. There was relief that he had agreed to forego the labs; irritation that he was being so contrary even while giving in to her request; vague amusement that he had essentially admitted to rooming with her only out of sheer necessity; and a weird little twist of pride and a bizarre, friendly affection as she caught the underlying message of his words. Even back home, she was the only one left who he trusted.

The rest of the feelings gave way to a niggling sense of sadness at that realization.

"Your mother has always been bizarrely kind to me," Amaris was saying, moving them right along, and Gina, not wanting to contemplate his depressing situation, went with him. "I have to confess, I'm a little worried that it's all an elaborate ruse."

"What, and that she'll smother you in your sleep for antagonizing me all these years? Naw." Gina grinned. "She'd be much more likely to slip something in your drink."

"Charming," Amaris said, but he was almost smirking and Gina felt a surge of relief that they had circumvented what could have been an ugly fight. "Well, I'll sleep with one eye open."

"Creepy," she retorted, and was going to ask him something about healing up their teams at the labs when he took her off-guard yet again.

"She didn't mention anything about uncle," Amaris noted, like he was commenting on a software upgrade.

Gina's face gave away her shock at the sudden subject, but luckily he wasn't looking. "I, uh… yeah, I noticed that. Kinda weird, I guess. Not sure… why."

"No," Amaris corrected quietly, his voice uncharacteristically mild. "I'm glad she didn't."

Gina didn't know what to say to that, but chalked it up as two points to her mother for magically knowing how to be tactful and considerate far better than Gina would have. She hoped vaguely it was a skill that developed more with age, or after one became a parent.

"Amaris, is that you?"

Gina jumped a little, not expecting a voice so close behind them. Amaris was more composed, but there was a crease between his eyebrows as they turned around. Gina's stomach flipped as she saw the gaggle of old women coming over to them from where they had been sitting on park benches—Gina and Amaris had unknowingly wandered too close to the community center.

"Oh, it _is _you. You haven't been in town for a few months, have you? You were here so briefly the first time, no one got to see you." Gina identified the speaker as Mrs. Blaney, though it took her a surprisingly long time to remember the name. She'd once had every face and name in Pallet Town ready to be supplied from her brain to her tongue at the drop of a hat.

"Yes," Amaris said bluntly, never one to mince words. For a brief, relieved moment, Gina thought that would be the end of it.

"I'm so sorry, Amaris. Your uncle was so dear to all of us." Mrs. Blaney made a motion as if to come closer to him, and Gina could only watch in horror. "What you must be going through…"

_Shit, _she thought, glancing at the other women who seemed to take Mrs. Blaney's cue and started in themselves. They were gentle and soft-spoken about it, but with so many sympathetic faces and quiet condolences being offered, they might as well have been backing the two teens into a corner with pitchforks and torches. She could only hear kindly little phrases like, "our condolences," and "if you ever want to talk," and Gina glanced sidelong at Amaris, half-expecting to see poorly-concealed rage on his face. What she saw instead was even worse.

Not many other people would be able to spot it, but to Gina it was glaringly obvious. Amaris' right hand was resting calmly at his side, but his left one was in his pocket, clutching so hard at his thigh that it had to be bruising. His posture was straight and his gaze even, but his lungs were pulling in air in jagged, short little bursts, barely perceptible. Gina could actually see his heartbeat through the gray fabric of his shirt. She had to do something to get them out of here. It seemed a little extreme to tell the gathering of women to bug off and leave them alone, and protective though Gina was feeling, she knew they didn't mean to be doing this.

"How did you find out, about… you know?" one of the women asked, as if solely to prove her wrong. "I mean, where were you? Who told you?"

Amaris' shoulder actually jerked at that, and okay, screw subtlety. Gina grasped onto the first idea that popped into her head. She faked (badly) a call on her PokeDex.

"Hello?" she said, holding it up to her ear. "What? Oh, really?" She made a show of plugging her other ear and frowning, nodding. "Uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay, we'll be right there." She "hung up," pocketed her Dex, and put her hand on Amaris' shoulder. "Sorry, Mrs. Blaney, but we have to go meet some friends… is that okay?"

It had been just about the worst display of Gina's acting ever, but Mrs. Blaney waved her hands in the air. "Of course, of course. Go on, it was so good to see you kids." Amaris was already taking off in a random direction, and Gina only paused to wave and smile plastically at the group before jogging to catch up to him. She was tempted to say something, but nothing occurred to her. In the end she stayed silent, just walking quickly beside him, and then slower and slower as they put more distance between themselves and the community center.

Amaris seemed better, though his expression was a bit brooding and distant. Gina's insides were twitching with the desire to say something to him, and it was only with great restraint that she held back the useless, unwelcome _are you okay? _or the forced humor of _well, that was pleasant._

What bothered her more than anything else, as they drew nearer to the labs, was that Amaris had seemed to be on the precipice of talking about his uncle, for the first time since she had come across him all those months ago in Viridian City. He had been the one to breech the subject first, and had they not been interrupted, Gina thought he might have actually said more.

Suddenly a lot more bitter towards the group of old women than was strictly appropriate, Gina frowned and grumbled in her head until they were right outside the familiar double-doors. "OAK RESEARCH CENTER" was still emblazoned on the front. With a twist of remorse, Gina realized there was no outward sign that Professor Drake had even been here—except that mural she had helped to paint on the back of the labs. The thought of it brought the stinging back to her throat, and all at once a memory hit her.

Amaris and she were buying paint at Walden's hardware store, and he was being an utter ass about it. She wanted to save money and get primary colors, and he had kept tossing swatches of oranges, greens and violets into her bag, expanding her palette against her will. She'd finally given up and shoved the bag at him—_You do it, _she'd snarled. _Finally,_ he'd said. Why it was significant now, Gina had no clue, but it took Amaris' hand very briefly touching down on her shoulder to get her attention.

"If it's alright, I'd like to go in there alone for now."

"Sure," Gina said, not willing to deprive him of that when she'd already compromised him down to staying in her home. It was stunning enough that he'd asked her for this solo visit rather than haughtily demanding it. "I'll be around though… text, if. Yeah."

"Yes, I'll text you if I'm suddenly attacked in broad daylight in front of all the researches, rest assured," Amaris said, heading to the labs without a backwards glance. Gina watched him go and shook her head. Of course that hadn't been what she'd meant. If she had finished her sentence, it would have been, _if you need me._

* * *

_Author's Note: Holy snap, this chapter got so long that I'm going to have to break it up into two. As a result, this one is light on the plot/action and heavy on the awwww friendship. I'm going to post up a short holiday piece as an offshoot of Rose/Scarlet at some point soon… a little writing exercise that cheered me up during a particularly nasty week. Happy holidays, loves—or any other secular celebration of your choice. I less-than-three you!_


	19. They Freaking Waited :Gina:

_First ever preemptive Author's Note: one f-bomb in this chapter. You have been warned!_

* * *

Pokemon Scarlet

Chapter 19: They Freaking Waited  
(Gina Ikeda)

Gina woke up the next morning with a jolt and a painful cramp shooting through her shoulder and neck. Through the sharp twitches in her muscles she glanced around the room, her heart in her throat and an implacable, animal sense of wrongness prickling across her skin. She had no idea where she was.

It took her a strangely long time to calm down even after the quick realization that she was in her own bedroom in Pallet. Her pulse was still in her ears as a quick, dull thud, and there was a wave of disoriented dehydration and head-rush when she got to her feet. She wondered if she'd been having a bad dream.

Jason and Amaris were in the room down the hall—or, they might still be in the room down the hall. It was possible that one of them had left to sleep on the couch. Gina blinked down at her Dex, the blue backlight hurting her eyes, and saw that it was a quarter past five in the morning. Okay, yeah, she wouldn't be going to wake her Jason unless she wanted to have things thrown at her head.

Gina slipped quietly down the stairs, dodging the ones that creaked, and, sure enough, Jason was sprawled out on the sofa. The sheets had been kicked into a pile on the floor and his blonde hair a complete mess of ruffled cowlicks. Jason had stopped spiking his hair for the most part, as the product he used was a luxury he didn't really need to spend money on. Still, his hair had been trained over the years to do strange, gravity-defying things, and right now it was smashed on one side and swooped up into a pseudo-mohawk. Gina laughed quietly to herself, disabled the flash on her Dex, and snapped a photo. She'd send it to Edith once she was outside.

The morning outside was brisk and cool, and Gina shivered at once, goosebumps rising on her bare arms. Regretting her choice to forego a jacket, she crossed her arms over her chest and walked quickly toward the labs.

Gav and the others were staying in Pallet's one inn, and the Nakawas and Orion had opted to camp in Route 1. Gina wondered if Gav would be awake yet, as he had always been an early riser and seemed to sleep, if possible, even less these days. Deciding to chance it, she sent a quick message: _you up?_

The response was just as quick. _Yup. I'm surprised you are. What's up?_

_heading to the labs_, Gina tapped back_. want to talk to alana myself… you want to come?__  
_  
Amaris had returned the previous evening well past sundown. Jason, Gina and her mom had spent most of the afternoon caught in peals of raucous laughter, Jason's animated stories and her mother's off-color comments combining forces until Gina was a red-faced, shaking mess of breathless giggles. She had emitted another of her dreaded snort-laughs, too, and Jason and her mom had not let her live it down for the rest of the night.

Amaris' return had punctured a hole in the festivities, even though he hadn't said or done anything. The sound of the door opening had been a counterpoint to their eye-wiping and dwindling chuckles, and when he appeared in the hallway and glanced in at them, the smiles had begun to fade automatically. His mother had waved him over to sit with them, but Amaris had smiled in a perfunctory way and excused himself upstairs. Gina's Dex buzzed in her pocket and she glanced down at it, knowing who the message was from. _come upstairs, i need to brief you on the research situation.__  
_  
His news had been good, but in spite of that Gina felt awful while he told it to her. Alana was happy to hear they were in town, eager to meet their group, and understood completely that the others wanted to keep a low profile. The reason they had decided on was that the research they were doing was something they didn't want spread around or stolen, and it had worked. Alana had seemed to think it was cute how protective they were over lab work that was most likely quite elementary. They could bring the others down any time and get set up.

What made Gina feel so wretched was the way Amaris had returned to his reserved, cold self sometime in the few hours they had been apart. She wasn't surprised—seeing the people who had known his uncle the best, being in the place where the professor had been killed, lying to Alana and the other researchers about why he was home—it was no wonder his walls were back with reinforced steel now.

Gina knew that if she'd knocked on Amaris' door this morning he'd probably have answered it fully-dressed, ready to head down with her. The bags under his eyes had returned a little lately, and she was pretty sure he'd slept badly, if at all, the previous night. She couldn't quite say why she didn't want him to come with her just yet. Gav's response was a _yes_, of course, and Gina shot him a follow-up text_. i'm gonna go in already, call when you're outside and i'll come get you.__  
_  
Gina pushed through the double-doors of the Oak Research Center, quietly slipping through the half-dark hallway to the back. Only every third light was on, probably to save electricity until the higher-traffic hours, and the effect was eerie. Gina quietly pushed open the second set of doors and glanced around the room in which Pokemon were healed.

A sense of surreal disorientation ghosted over her as she looked at the wall of switches and lights, the shelves of labeled Pokeballs, the machines with round slots that lined the back walls. In this corner was the video-phone Professor Drake had always wrestled with whenever she'd phoned him. She'd sat right against this wall, sipping her cup of lemonade and having a pity party after she'd lost her first battle against Amaris. She'd stood over there when the professor had handed her Charmander's Pokeball, kick-starting her new life.

There was in a corner of the lab obscured by bookshelves, and not wanting to look like a creeping trespasser, Gina cleared her throat. "Hi, it's Gina."

"Gina?" The voice was Alana's, and a second later the intern appeared around the edge of the bookcase, papers and what looked oddly like an abacus in her hand and a cup of coffee balanced on top. "Oh my god. It's you. It's been such a long time, here, come here," Alana said, slipping the cup onto a shelf and dropping the papers onto a small plastic drawer set that was already sagging low under the weight of huge books. Gina obeyed, a nervous smile coming to her face, and Alana closed the distance and put her hands on Gina's shoulders. "It's so good to see you," Alana said, with such conviction and feeling that emotion threatened to strangle off Gina's voice. Alana looked a little pale and overworked, but Gina noted that she was wearing earrings that showed a finger that was jabbing a little stick-figure outline of a person. This small detail, though she didn't understand the reference at all, was infinitely comforting to her.

"It's great to see you too," Gina finally said, managing to get the words out and immediately feeling the inadequate weight they held. She had no idea what to say, though—what was there to say? Neither of them was really qualified to offer condolences to the other.

"Your friends are going to come by to work in lab four, right?" Alana asked, giving her shoulders a squeeze before going back to her coffee on the shelf. "I can show you where that is."

Gina hadn't meant to seem like she was here strictly for business, but she couldn't figure out how to word that. "Yeah, sure, if you want, but no rush. I just, couldn't sleep well, so I decided to come by."

"I hear you on that," Alana said, rubbing her face and rolling her neck. "It's no trouble though, might as well get you situated now, since I have a little time. Be careful when you come back this way though. It's still a little… chaotic."

Gina's stomach twisted and she knew at once what Alana meant. Though the front hall and first room of the labs had been cleaned up (at least back to the friendly state of clutter she remembered), the rest of the labs might not have been set completely back to the status quo since the ransacking. Gina swallowed hard and soldiered on with Alana, feeling like she was on the tracks of some kind of horror ride at an amusement park. She was starting to want to get off, but could not. Alana led her through the doors to the hall on the right, and Gina's breath caught in her throat.

Cardboard was taped over a number of windows on the smaller labs to either side of the hallway, the glass apparently gone or broken behind it. A large dent gaped like a wound in the left wall, and it looked like something had been painted over in rather weak, watery white paint that didn't match the rest. Gina could see jagged, angry black words under the patches, but didn't want to stop to read what it said. One entire string of track lights was broken, plunging a thirty-foot stretch of the walkway into darkness. Gina cast a quick glance into one of the open labs and saw that boxes of torn books and ripped papers were stacked messily on top of one another. Whoever had been here had done an absolute number on the entire place.

Gina reeled at the thought that anyone would say the professor had done this. She'd love to hear the reasoning behind the police report—had they assumed the professor had gone mad, crushed under the weight of his research, and had flipped out and trashed his life's work? She suddenly wished she could read that painted-over wall. It was evidence, another piece of information that she felt duty-bound to record and add to their growing database of corruption and crime.

Her mind in dark places, Gina almost didn't realize that Alana had stopped and was unlocking a door. Gina worked on detangling her hair while she waited for the two locks to give way under Alana's traditional key and card key, and soon the two girls were in a large, dark space. It was frigid, and when Alana flicked on the lights Gina was relieved to see the room was intact. There were three long metal tables spaced evenly across the considerable floor space, bookshelves full of research materials against the far wall, four computers to the right and a chem lab to the left. It was short on chairs, but this was normal—Gina couldn't remember the chemists ever sitting during any part of their work.

"This is perfect," Gina said, though in reality she had no idea if it was. It looked legit, though. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, Gina. Any time. You know we encourage all sorts of scientific exploits here." Alana leaned against the wall and sighed low and slow. Heavy silence stretched between them.

Alana broke it after a moment. "Gina," she said, and Gina's insides twisted in apprehension, wondering if she'd question her about the real nature of their research. What she said took her even more off guard. "Is Amaris… is he, okay?"

Gina blinked a few times, nowhere near sure how to respond. She chewed on her lip and tugged at the loop used for holding a hammer on the leg of her jeans. "He's… for the most part, he seems pretty okay." She shrugged. "It's hard to tell, with him."

"You're telling me," Alana agreed, smiling fondly and slipping her hands into the pockets of her white coat. "I just worry, is all. After we got the news… he did what he needed to do, helped out with the repairs until we made him stop and sleep. We all barely spoke to one another. He took off as soon as he was able."

Gina was very quiet and attentive, wanting Alana to feel comfortable sharing this. She tried to mentally project support and understanding, worried that the other girl would suddenly stop. There was a little pause, and Gina said, "I ran into him about a month after. He's been with me ever since."

"He mentioned," Alana said, smiling wearily at Gina. There was sadness, but also gratitude in her brown eyes. "I'm so glad he's got people. I really had no idea what he was going to do when he left here. A lot of us were scared for him."

Gina suddenly felt very awkward that they were talking about Amaris like this. She knew Alana had every reason to worry, though, and she tried to offer reassurance without feeling like she was gossiping. "He's still a jerk to me more often than not," she said, glancing up at Alana with a small, uncertain smile. "If that helps."

Alana burst out in giggles and put her hand over her face. Gina hid her smile and studied the intern as she composed herself. "Yes… actually, that really does. Thanks, Gina."

Gina's Dex buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, glancing at the message from Gav. _outside_

"I'll be in the main room if you guys need anything, okay? You can buzz me on the PA system, too." Alana tapped her finger against the metal box near the light switches and slipped out of the room. Gina couldn't decide if she was in a better mood or not as she followed behind, retracing her steps to get Gav. When she passed by Alana, stooped over her pile of papers, she paused.

"Hey," she said, and the young woman looked up. "What's with your earrings?"

Alana's smile was self-depreciating as she held one still so Gina could see it better. "Poke-a-man."

It took Gina a second to get it, but when she did the sound of their combined laughter bounced off the tall walls and made the quiet room seem a little less cold.

* * *

"Run this by me one more time," Gav said, his brow furrowed behind goggles, eyes trained on the digital display in front of him. "I just want to make completely sure I'm not going to blow anything up."

"You realize that chem labs very rarely blow up the way they do in the movies, right?" Amaris asked, quirking an eyebrow. Gina figured he would be nearing the end of his patience by now, but he seemed to be reigning back most of his frustration in light of the work they were doing.

Victoria and Beth were set up on two of the computers, and Blake had been on one until he got distracted by the bookshelves. Kaylee was sitting on one of the long metal tables, her legs dangling over the edge, watching Gav and Amaris with interest. She'd wanted in on the training, but it was a unanimous vote that Gav and Amaris were the only two who should deal with the chemicals directly. Amaris had prior lab experience from helping his uncle, and Gav's steady hands had taken apart and rebuilt enough minuscule data chips and motherboards to be trusted with sensitive items. Zahlia and Orion were standing off to the side, evidently wanting to keep out of the way, and Jason and Gina were sorting papers on another one of the long tables, in spite of the fact that they were probably the last two people qualified to do so.

"This is a WTF file," Jason said, handing her a stack of papers with a binder clip on them.

"Kay, and this is on the Masterball tech," Gina said, trading the papers for a small file folder with MB scrawled in pencil on the front. Their piles were chaotic and numerous, and Gina had misfiled a few things early on, causing general confusion.

The small case of unknown blue substance sat on the metal table Kaylee was on, and none of them had opened it again since arriving. Victoria had been in favor of taking it, and all their paperwork, back with them to the inn every night, and it was only Gina and Amaris' staunch assurance that convinced her to reconsider. Amaris muttered to Gav about the clear flasks lined up against the wall, then gave him a roll of masking tape and a black pen. "You," he said to Kaylee, earning a dark glare. "Pass me the blue stuff."

"What's the magic word?" she asked snidely, and Amaris responded with, "now."

Blake stepped between them, his nose in a book about homing instincts in bird Pokemon, and handed the case to Amaris. Then he continued walking past them. Kaylee scowled and grumbled under her breath, hopping off the table to put more distance between herself and Amaris. Gina sighed and closed her eyes, praying for patience.

"So, we let this sit overnight, then?" Gav verified, unlatching the case Amaris held out to him.

"Right," Amaris said, closing it once Gav had one of the syringes. Gina watched, interested, as Amaris motioned for him to empty half the contents of one syringe into the four tiny test tubes nestled in the machine. Gav managed to get the liquid almost evenly distributed, and Amaris' lack of insults and criticism was his version of gratuitous praise. The boys clicked away at some buttons and Gina looked back down to the paperwork.

"Oh jeez," she said, figuring the way the words swam on the page in front of her was probably not a good thing. "Guys, I think I need to step out for a bit."

"Me too," Jason said at once, scrubbing his hands through his hair. Only Orion and Gav acknowledged their announcement, as everyone else was too distracted or in too foul a mood to reply.

Outside Gina put her head in her hands and blinked up at the fading sunlight, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the outdoors again. "Wonder what the results'll be," she muttered half-heartedly, stretching and cracking her neck.

Jason was quiet for a moment, and Gina grimaced slightly, remembering that whatever the results were, they would implicate his father. Jason settled for a shrug, and as if to change the subject, asked, "Up for a quick battle?"

"Totally," Gina said, a slow-spreading grin coming to her face. Jason looked grateful for the distraction as she took the standard many steps backward to clear a space for the Pokemon. "I just have to be careful not to set the labs on fire."

Jason pitched his Pokeball into the middle of their battlefield just as Gina did. She honestly had been expecting Kadabra, or perhaps Spearow, as Jason was trying to train his bird up to match the rest of his team. She grinned when Bulbasaur appeared. He _was_ looking a little glossier these days. Charmander whipped its tail flame back and forth and crouched low, eager for the scuffle. Bulbasaur yawned at it.

"You can swap if you like," Gina teased, grinning as Jason stuck his tongue out at her.

"Fat chance! And hah, challenger gets the first move, so we'll see if you can walk the walk." Bulbasaur sighed deeply and sat up straighter, eying Charmander, and Jason called, "PoisonPowder!"

"Aw crap!" Gina exclaimed, darting back from the dark violet stuff that sucked forward at Charmander like a cloud of gnats. Bulbasaur's various powder-moves all behaved differently. Sleep Powder was more of a traditional pollen that drifted lazily down onto whatever it happened to touch, and Stun Spore was a sticky, sandy-textured spray of tiny, bright yellow seeds. PoisonPowder was downright devious though, and acted sort of like a heat-seeking missile. Charmander growled and rolled backwards, but some of it touched down on his hindquarters and he shuddered, scratching at the spot and snarling at Bulbasaur, who did a good job shrugging for a quadruped.

"Yeah, yeah," Gina said, rolling her eyes as she called Charmander over for an Antidote. Jason was openly gloating, hands on his hips.

"Feel the uncomfortable burn of my status effects."

"I hear they make a cream for that," Gina countered, sending a healed Charmander back to the center of the field. "Ember!"

Charmander let loose his attack, which had grown from a spattering of small flames to a torrent of fire that was on its way to being a legitimate Flamethrower move. Bulbasaur snarled and rolled to the side, avoiding most of the damage but smoking slightly, and executed Jason's order of "Razor Leaf!" at once. Once again Gina was forced to dash away from the area of effect, and Charmander took more than one sharp leaf to its flank. Charmander slid through the clearing smoke and landed a wicked scratch to Bulbasaur's side, and Jason made a sound of interested surprise.

"Going old-school, huh?" he asked. "Alright then, Tackle!"

In such close quarters, Bulbasaur had no trouble cracking a good head-butt to Charmander's face, and the lizard rolled to the side, dazed. It completely missed Gina's next command. The fire spun dangerously close to Jason and he yelped and danced out of the way while ordering a Stun Spore. The lizard was soon covered in the sticky, pulsing particles, and Gina growled and debated using a Paralyze Heal on him.

Charmander answered that question for her, snorting smoke from its nostrils and whipping its tail back and forth. "If you say so!" Gina called, and ordered another round of flames. Bulbasaur took more damage, but the Vine Whip it countered with had to be a critical hit. Charmander rolled back to dodge, but halfway through the motion it twitched and groaned, the evasion turning more into a sad tumble.

"Alright you," Gina said, kneeling down and pulling out the Paralyze Heal. "We do it my way now." Charmander made a "grff" sound, but stood shakily and allowed itself to be sprayed down. Gina was smiling though, shaking her head. She and Jason were rather evenly matched these days, even with the type advantage, and Gina had long ago stopped holding back on the flames when it came to Bulbasaur. There were days when even going full-blast with Ember, she and Charmander lost. It was looking like today would be one of those days.

Still, Charmander was nothing if not a fighter to the last, and Gina sighed and stood back while Charmander crouched low, worse for the wear and eying Bulbasaur warily. It dodged most of the Razor Leaves, but when it surged forward to counter with Ember again, the flames stuttered and faltered, and Bulbasaur was able to whip its vines out like a fan and blow through most of them. The next Tackle put Charmander out of commission, and it made a grumbling, moody sound at Bulbasaur when the Plant-Type's vines gently lifted its friend back to its feet.

"Aww," Gina said. "They play so nice." As if to prove her wrong, Charmander blew a smoke ring at her, and Gina waved her hand in front of her face while Jason laughed. She was already done spraying Charmander down with a Super Potion when she noticed Amaris watching them from the doorway of the Oak Research Center. Gav and he must have finished setting up the chem lab.

"Oh, sure," Gina said to him, sticking her tongue out. "You watch the battles where I lose."

"Wouldn't that be virtually every battle?" Amaris asked philosophically, and Jason gave Gina the now-familiar uncertain glance that read _is it okay that he said that? Want me to beat him up?_

Gina rubbed Charmander's head and whispered to her starter, "wanna scrap with Wartortle?" Charmander nodded with vehemence, leering over at Amaris. Gina stood and cleared her throat. "Well, put your money where your mouth is," she said, pointing to Jason's spot in their charred, pollen-strewn battlefield.

Amaris' eyebrows rose. "Are you actually challenging _me_ for once?" he asked, but she noticed that he already had a Pokeball in his hand as he headed over to where Jason was. Jason shuffled off to the side, but Bulbasaur seemed reluctant to move. Jason frowned down at his starter, and after a second Bulbasaur followed him haltingly, looking somewhat distracted. Jason knelt down and started spraying Bulbasaur with Potion, and Gina took a few more steps back. Whenever fire and water were in the mix, the battlefield had to be quite a bit bigger.

She could tell he was about to use his infamous opening line on her, and lifted a finger to cut him off. "_Challengers_ first," she corrected, grinning wickedly as he rolled his eyes at her. "Scratch!" she shouted, and Charmander seemed to have been thinking the same thing, because it shot forward at once. Wartortle and Amaris both looked surprised by this, which she had been banking on. Charmander slid into home, right past Wartortle's fire-shielding stance. Wartortle took the scratch straight to its underbelly.

"Headbutt!" Amaris called now that Charmander was in close range, too awkward a distance for Water Gun. Charmander wasn't able to move out of the way and took the day's second headbutt to the face. Gina cringed and called the order of Ember almost in perfect time with her Pokemon turning to do the same thing. Wartortle's eyes widened at the fire in such close range, and rolled backwards frantically, retreating into its shell with a growl. Amaris' eyebrows were high now as he watched his starter rock back and forth in its shell under the torrent of flames. When Charmander was done (and had flipped away to prepare for the next attack) Wartortle emerged, looking decidedly singed. Gina beamed—it wasn't easy to land a burn status effect on a Water-type. She lifted an eyebrow at Amaris, who patted his leg for Wartortle to come over. "I take it you have a Burn Heal?" she asked, crossing her arms and feeling rather smug.

He laughed at that, kneeling down to spray Wartortle. "Of course. The second I heard you got a Charmander starter I bought out Viridian's supply."

Gina did a double-take. "No. You didn't really."

"No," Amaris said, giving her an amused, withering look. "I didn't really. What do you take me for?" He shook his head and analyzed Wartortle, looking at his Pokemon from various angles. "… But I never go anywhere without at least five now," he conceded as an afterthought.

Gina felt strangely proud at that revelation, and just to stick with the theme: "Ember again!"

Wartortle was ready this time, and hunkered low before rolling aside. Charmander followed it, but Wartortle ducked down and charged, going for a second Headbutt. Charmander vaulted itself right over Wartortle's shell, tucked and rolled into a standing position and turned around to scratch the backs of Wartortle's retreating legs. Wartortle let out a _yipe! _and flipped over to land a solid Water Gun attack right to Charmander's exposed stomach.

"_Ooh_," Jason hissed sympathetically from the sidelines, and Gina scowled just as much as her starter was. Charmander whipped its head around to get the water off and blew steam out, but paused, waiting for Gina's orders.

Gina had grown to understand her starter's body as well as her own over the past sixteen months, and she knew he didn't need a potion break quite yet. "Get close!" she called, surrendering the attack commands to her Pokemon's discretion. Charmander shot forward into Wartortle's space, and Amaris shouted, "Bubble!" as the two grappled in quick hand-to-hand combat. Wartortle's foamy attack made Charmander snarl and bend its head back, and in that moment of distraction Wartortle kicked it back a few feet. Charmander skidded painfully against the ground and rolled upright, out of breath. It jumped right back in though, and let loose Ember again right in Wartortle's face. Jason whooped from somewhere to her left.

Wartortle retreated to Amaris for a Super Potion this time, and Gina called Charmander over as well. During the time-out she kneeled low and rubbed the back of his head, smiling as he closed his eyes. "You're doing great, as always," she said, busting with pride. This battle was a far cry from the first super-soaking he'd received when she'd fought Amaris in Cerulean City. That felt like a lifetime ago; so much had changed since then. Gina had trained with Amaris numerous times since he'd moved into Edith's place, but they didn't often have official battles, and hardly ever one-on-ones like this. The first time they'd tried to let Charmander and Wartortle spar it had escalated into an ugly, underhanded brawl almost immediately, and both trainers had to recall their starters at once.

When the two Pokemon were back in the arena, both trainers remained poised, staring each other down and trying to read one another's mind. Gina shouted "up!" right as Amaris barked out "Water Gun!" and Charmander leapt up and away from the first geyser. Wartortle cocked its head to follow the lizard's progress, but Charmander managed to tumble out of the way. "Scratch!" Gina shouted, and Charmander charged forward and slammed into Wartortle's middle, going for a scratch to the face. Gina was so familiar with her starter's offense attacks she could almost predict the way Charmander would move, which claw it would favor, or the direction of the flames in the wind.

Wartortle kept rolling backwards and propelled Charmander off with two feet into the lizard's stomach. Wartortle hopped to its feet, back facing Charmander, and Charmander wasted no time letting out a torrent of flames at the shell. Wartortle was forced into a defensive huddle once more, and Amaris chuckled.

"Not bad," he remarked, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Only took you, what, a year and a half to get your starter under control?"

"Bite me," Gina shot back, but she was grinning ear-to-ear. An idea had just occurred to her. "Smoke him out!" she shouted to Charmander, and the Fire-type immediately snorted and spewed out copious amounts of thick, choking steam and ash from its mouth. Amaris coughed and backed up, and no matter how used to it she'd become over the years, Gina still had to blink in the sudden cloud as well.

Wartortle, to its credit, lasted about a minute under the thick veil. It seemed to know the second it emerged it would be vulnerable to Ember or Scratch again, with Charmander in such close quarters. When it couldn't take anymore, though, it popped its head out, took the Scratch attack, and jetted forward to knock Charmander off its feet with its spinning shell. Charmander jumped to avoid it, but the shell clipped one of its legs and Charmander sprawled across the ground. The wind shifted, and Gina, no longer able to see the battle, called out "flip him!"

When the smoke cleared Gina blinked blearily, tears in her eyes, and squinted to see the two huddled forms. Charmander had Wartortle on its back, both of its claws pressing down against the turtle's underbelly, and Wartortle looked too tired to fight against being pinned. The Water-type glared at Charmander (as best it could from the awkward angle) and sighed. Then it let its head fall back against the ground with a soft thump.

Gina automatically tried to stifle the smile for about one second. Then Jason's cheers erupted from the sidelines and Gina fell to her knees and indulged in a double fist-pump and a "Yes!" Friendly as she and Amaris had been becoming over the past four months, the victory was a shot of adrenaline and dizzying pride straight to her head. This was the first time she had flat-out beaten him with her starter, no contest, no question. Gina felt the competitive, hot-faced twelve-year old somewhere inside her burst into a shameless touch-down dance.

Charmander let Wartortle up, and the two Pokemon regarded one another for a moment, discussing something in their strange language. Amaris, arms crossed, watched Gina and Jason's double high five with something that could only be described as bewildered amusement. "I'll be damned," he said, dusting his hands off on his smoky jeans. Then—and Gina could almost parrot the words he said next—"That's what I get for going easy on you."

Jason had started in with an indignant, "_what?_" but at Gina's burst of laughter he stopped. "Just keep telling yourself that," she replied, and Amaris' cool, indifferent look cracked slightly, just the hint of a mischievous smile showing through.

Charmander was done with Wartortle and galloped over to Gina. For the first time it conceded to being picked up and spun around, and Gina hardly felt the accidental burn on her arm from the tail flame. Her starter squirmed before long; she should have known Charmander wouldn't stand for too much celebration and touchy-feely stuff.

When Charmander hunkered down on all fours and shuddered, though, Gina took a few steps back and groped on the ground for her pack. "You okay, buddy?" Worry flared in her chest, hot and bright.

"No fucking way," Jason suddenly said, evidently unable to hold back the curse. Gina whipped her head over to him just in time to see Bulbasaur's plant start to tremble slightly. Realization dawned on her along with head rush. Jason's sentiment echoed in her head; she felt slightly faint.

Charmander's tail flame suddenly exploded, or something that looked like it. Gina threw her arm up in front of her face and took many more steps back, almost tripping. _Oh my god oh my god oh my god. _She had no clue if she was saying it out loud or in her head.

Charmander's growth was awkward and jerky, nothing like the somewhat steady, smooth transition Pidgey had made into Pidgeotto, then Pidgeot. Its scales rippled like the surface of a pond, and Gina's stomach flipped in horrified, concerned fascination. The color darkened in blotchy patches, starting at the left foot and nose and slowly swirling inward. The scales were multiplying, Gina realized—they were multiplying because Charmander was growing, and a whole hell of a lot, at that.

Jason swore again to her left and she managed to tear her eyes away from her starter to look at his. Bulbasaur's growth was much more gradual, a steady surge of larger muscles here and there. Gina let out a sudden, startled laugh, and bizarrely, this is what made tears spring to her eyes—Bulbasaur was engaging in its patented Poke-stretching, easing its body gradually into its next form. Jason's expression was priceless—if she didn't know better she'd have sworn that, behind the shock, he was a little overcome too.

The red scales had taken over completely, and while a part of Charmander's skull started to push back to form the protruding bone (to help him be aerodynamic as a Charizard, Gina recalled vaguely) the nubs of would-be wings on its back pushed out a little farther. Charmander suddenly grew a great deal in one surge and Gina jumped.

Its arms were the strangest part to watch. Charmander's stubby little hands grew first, the claws swelling and forcing the fingers to elongate with them. Then its arms shot out all at once and Gina couldn't help the choked-back laughter. Her starter's process was so awkward all she could think of was voice-cracking, gangly puberty. Bulbasaur made a sound to Charmander and Charmander snorted at it. Gina got the impression they were teasing one another.

"Gina Gina!" Jason shouted, and she looked over at Bulbasaur again. Bulbasaur was enormous now, at least twice as big as it had been before, and the edges of the plant started to peel back bit by bit. Gina watched in awe as an impossibly beautiful, strangely strong looking blossom emerged. The leaves changed in color slightly as they curled down and flapped open, resting along Bulbasaur's back, and the bud itself—Gina had never seen that shade of pink before, something that almost bordered on purple. It was bright and smooth as something from a fever dream.

Charmander was almost done, and with a last little shudder and grunt, its legs finished evening out—one had been bigger than the other for a while, threatening to overtip her Pokemon. Bulbasaur—no, Ivysaur, now, god, it would take so much time to get used to that—sighed softly and glanced over to Jason. It lifted an "eyebrow" and quirked the side of its mouth up in a little smirk. Its teeth were more prominent now, Gina noted with dull awe.

When she looked back at Charmeleon it was just stretching out new shoulders and arms, looking down at larger hands with interest. Gina started forward, then stopped. Her starter turned at the movement and locked eyes with her, looking for a reaction and seeming a great deal less certain than she'd expected. Gina managed to unstick her legs and move forward, shakily, to put her hand out to Charmeleon's head. It was so much taller now.

Charmeleon's head moved into her hand with aggressive affection, and the laughter that burst forth from her sounded borderline-hysterical. "Oh my god!" she yelled, letting it out at last, and Charmeleon jumped a little at the sound, looking a little scandalized. Gina ignored this and stooped to crush them together in a hug—she didn't have to lean down very far at all anymore. The scales were warmer than before, almost hot; it felt like her starter had been all day. Gina imagined her jeans catching on fire while trying to ride Charizard and laughed even louder.

The silence from Jason finally registered as deeply abnormal, and she looked over at her friend to see that he still appeared to be in shock. Jason was just blinking at Ivysaur, breathing very slowly like he was trying not to hyperventilate. "You're not dreaming," Gina called to him, wiping at her eyes and feeling a little self-conscious at how utterly emotional she was.

Jason turned to look at her slowly, his face an absolute open book. _Seriously, don't jerk me around, _his expression said, and his Pokemon sighed and turned to face him better. Ivysaur cocked its head to one side, then the other, and finally hunkered down low.

"Grar."

For some reason utterly unknown to Gina, that was what finally set Jason off. "_Holy shit!"_

That was more like it.

Jason was utterly unable to pick Ivysaur up now, but he tried anyway, and Gina almost fell over from laughing. Charmeleon, big enough now, pushed her upright with one hand and snorted steam, rolling its teal eyes at her.

"They—Gina, they freaking waited until we were back in Pallet," Jason said once he could form words beyond hysterical victory shouts. He was on the ground with Ivysaur, who was patiently allowing his exploration of its new flower, bigger teeth and different spot patterns. He managed to climb to his feet so he could peer into the top of the bud, still looking rather manic.

Gina's face ached from smiling. "We should come back here in a few months and see if we can—"

"Yeah!" he interrupted, doubling up and resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Charizard and Venusaur! Hah!" Ivysaur nudged Jason with one if its vines and Jason stumbled, giving his starter a surprised look. "Damn, buddy, you're strong now!" He was given another shove and burst out laughing anew. "You were strong before! I take it back!" Tiny leaves were shot at him playfully. "I'm sorry!"

Gina felt utterly dizzy from happiness, and a little sick to her stomach. She took a few deep breaths and dug her knuckles into her cheeks, trying to stop grinning long enough for the muscles to relax. It was definitely the best nausea and violent muscle cramps of her life.

She heard soft laughter and turned to see Amaris standing with Wartortle at his side. Wartortle, still slightly singed, was regarding Charmeleon and Ivysaur with reserved interest, but Gina's now-painful smile returned full watt when she looked up at its trainer. Amaris was lounging against the wall of the research center, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.

For the first time since they had come home, he was smiling. It might have been the first real one she'd ever seen on him—not a smirk, not a sneer, not something half-stifled or hidden. Her strange, pleasant queasiness increased.

"Admit it," he said, "You two had that planned for months."


	20. Full Disclosure :Amaris:

Pokemon Scarlet

Chapter 20: Full Disclosure

(Amaris Drake)

For the first time, Amaris Drake regretted the fact that he was an early riser. He regretted that he had a propensity to spearhead projects and look into the progress of things on his own, before the group was gathered together. If he hadn't been suffering insomnia that night, if he had decided to go for a pre-dawn walk around Pallet instead of coming to the labs, he wouldn't be the first one looking down at these findings.

He knew, logically, Gav wouldn't have been able to decipher the charts and numbers, the diagrams and cross-referencing graphs that blinked out at him from the LCD screen now. Amaris would have still had to translate this gibberish into English for the others. It would have been better, though, if he'd made the discovery while surrounded by people. He'd have printed out the reports and divided them up among the others, and it would have dawned on them slowly, as a unit. He wouldn't be here right now at three a.m. in the darkness of lab four, realizing that some of his companions could very well be…

What?

Possibly screwed?

No. That was too fatalistic. He didn't know anything for sure.

What he did know was in the reports scattered all across the metal tables. It was flickering in the small display. The blue stuff was a stimulant—sort of. That had been apparent immediately, the first thing the analysis machine had told him. It was a stimulant similar to a steroid, meant to enhance certain parts of the mind and body. Unlike a steroid, however, the blue stuff didn't cause the user to bulk up, or become any physically stronger or faster. It was much more subtle than that, and Amaris had turned next to the charts that compared the drug to other known substances from published papers. Amaris had been utterly baffled at how few hits had popped up. They were sorted in descending order of relevance, and the only two official, peer-reviewed studies had been at the bottom of the list. One had likened the drug to an antidepressant or other mood-altering chemical; the other had likened it to a pheromone.

The top twenty hits were all private reports, off-the-grid, and the name attached to them made Amaris' gut twist with nostalgia mixed painfully with dread. Professor Andrew Drake.

Their rickety little printer, hooked up to the lab's four computers, had been put through its paces. Amaris had grabbed each page as the printer supplied it, his eyes tearing over key words. He'd always been a speed-reader, a skill he'd had to learn while working with his uncle, and he hadn't even wanted to stop to turn on the lights. What had started as a routine check on the progress of the chemical analysis turned into two straight hours of power-reading.

His uncle's primary focus had always been Pokemon-human communication. Amaris knew it wasn't his _only _focus, but he'd been under the laughably erroneous assumption that the bulk of his time had been spent exploring ways to translate grunts and squeaks into English. The first twenty reports he scoured were only one part of this previously undiscovered research. In the appendix of each report he saw countless other studies referenced, all by his uncle and his uncle alone, and all focused on the same strange phenomenon.

His uncle called it the alpha gene. Amaris had started reading the reports out of order and became quickly baffled. He soon had to mark up the pages with barely legible, scrawly questions and notes, circling terms that made no sense to come back to later. The motivation behind the alpha gene studies was laid out in the third report he read.

_The alpha gene appears in certain Pokemon in a seemingly arbitrary pattern. With most species, an alpha is determined based on a combination of strength, speed, physical health and aggression. The alpha gene in Pokemon appears to only share the aggression prerequisite. See the Rhyhorn study (12:4, p.117-20). Regardless of a Pokemon's physical attributes, alphas are determined by a hitherto mysterious variable. This report sums up my attempts to isolate this variable._

The definition of what, exactly, this damned vague gene was, popped up in the seventh report.

_The gene is something Pokemon are born with. What causes the gene to emerge in each Pokemon alpha is still uncertain. It sometimes takes years for the gene's effects to emerge; some Pokemon's genes remains dormant much longer. When active, the gene stimulates the growth of new glands and kick-starts the production of a hormone only vaguely similar to the pheromones produced to attract a mate. The new hormone, hereafter referred to as Factor A, elicits a number of startling responses from nearby Pokemon, securing the alpha as pack leader 17 times out of 20 (see 17:2, p. 16-32). Section four of this report will cover the specific responses in detail._

Amaris had upset a large stack of papers in his frantic search for section four.

_Displays of intense fear from Pokemon in the area of effect: _

_a) the adoption of submissive stances  
b) the aversion of the gaze  
c) the abrupt cessation of all movement and sound_

_The release of an internal chemical in all Pokemon in the A.O.E.:_

_a) causes muscle fatigue similar to exhaustion that sets in after strenuous activity  
b) slows reflexes and responsiveness  
c) impedes coordination  
d) decreases comprehension abilities and basic cognitive reasoning_

_**The apparent ability of the Pokemon with Factor A to command other Pokemon in the A.O.E. (see 23-all)**_

It was like a scavenger hunt with a ghost. Amaris knew that report 23 would need to be pored over in painstaking detail. The fact that his uncle had cited the entire report, and not a section with page numbers, primed Amaris for the daunting task that lay before him.

Report 23 ate up the better part of an hour. Amaris didn't notice that he'd sunk to the floor in a deeply uncomfortable position, leaning against the leg of one of the tables, the huge stack of print-outs in his lap. Discarded sheets littered the ground to his right. A nerve in his neck was painfully pinched by the time he finished reading, and the printer was buried under a ludicrously large stack of reports.

Apparently Pokemon with the alpha gene, and subsequently Factor A, had been shown to give nonverbal commands to fellow Pokemon—and those Pokemon actually followed the orders. Amaris' mind reeled at the similarity between the way a trainer would shout a battle command to their team, and a technicolor-bright memory snapped to life in his head.

_His uncle tended to air-drum when he was rambling about one of his theories. His deft fingers gripped imaginary drumsticks and tapped out a beat on any surface available, his foot keeping steady time against the ground. It was a strange quirk, and when Amaris had asked him about it as a child Andrew Drake had grinned sheepishly. He'd finally admitted to going through a punk rock phase as a teen, when he was the drummer in a band called—Amaris hadn't ever let him live it down—Nidoranarchy. His uncle was air-drumming now, a quick sixteenth-note feel, while he rambled about Pokeballs._

"_Silph would have you believe they don't use anything chemically harsh inside Pokeballs," his uncle said, and Amaris struggled not to be distracted by his foot tapping at the imaginary bass drum. "Honestly though, that's a load of crock. Silph's latest report claims that Pokeballs have a 'calming agent' similar to a mild sedative, and that takes the aggressive edge off captured Pokemon long enough for the trainer to assert dominance, but, hah." The professor switched tempo and Amaris quirked his eyebrow. "There's way more to it than that. I know it. Of course it would be tricky to get my hands on their formula, but that's a battle for another day."_

"_Uh-huh," Amaris said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "You really think you're ever going to see Silph's Pokeball formula?"_

_Uncle Drake rolled his eyes at Amaris and stuck out his tongue. "You're way too young to be calling any goal unattainable. Don't you want to grow up to be a super hero or something?" At Amaris' incredulous look, the professor had abandoned his drumming in favor of trying to convince his nephew that, with their technology, he could fashion some wicked crime-fighting regalia._

Amaris had no time for sentimentality. The significance of the memory was dancing in the periphery of his mind, teasing him. He had thought of it for a reason, and not just because he was elbow-deep in his uncle's words. It went beyond the idea of trainers being similar to alpha Pokemon, but his brain just couldn't fit the pieces together—not when it was busy speeding off in a hundred other directions.

Okay, so, Nathan Fremont had this blue stuff in his house, under his bed. It looked like it had been taken out frequently, the tourniquet cracking, the athletic tape half-gone. Right.

The blue stuff, as it turned out, was an almost perfect match to Factor A, the chemical alpha Pokemon started to secrete once their DNA decided it was time to rule over their fellows. Okay.

According to his uncle's research, he had never successfully isolated the gene and refined Factor A into a chemical substance. It would have required very invasive procedures on alpha Pokemon in question, and the likelihood of the Pokemon surviving the extraction would be very slim. Of course Andrew Drake would never do such a thing. Of course.

Here it was, though, extracted and refined. Powerful, too, if the little pie-charts and line graphs were any indicator. This stuff was the equivalent of 150-proof alcohol. Amaris had remained stuck at this mental block for the past half-hour, stumped and uncertain about what this all meant now that his frantic reading was on hold. He took to scrolling through the LCD screen hooked up to the test tubes instead.

Most of the data he could have guessed. The blue stuff was meant to be injected into a vein, took five to ten minutes to reach its full effect. What that full effect was, Amaris couldn't say. His uncle's findings had implied that a Pokemon needed to be born with the Alpha gene—after all, that was what caused the particular glands to grow in the first place. Amaris was fairly certain that no matter how much a non-alpha Pokemon was injected with the blue stuff, it would not magically cause those glands to form. You either had it or you didn't.

_That was what uncle thought, anyway._

The niggling little thought grew like a spreading ink stain in his brain. He was on the precipice of something he knew he wouldn't like.

He didn't even realize he had stumbled upon the missing piece until about five minutes after he read the line of data. He was already halfway through sorting out a chemical analysis of the substance on a molecular level, struggling to remember scientific terms that had grown rusty in his brain over the years. He stopped scribbling letters and numbers on the back of one of the reports, his hand moving to the tiny key pad on the analysis machine. He wasn't sure what he was doing for a second, but when he started to flick backwards through the pages of data, it hit him.

_Eff. perm. Her. 95% carrier – 45% act._

Amaris stared at the little line of text and breathed slowly and deeply, fighting the growing buzzing in his ears. Effect: permanent. Hereditary. The drug would bond with the user's cells and therefore could be—_would _be—passed down genetically. Any offspring would be 95% likely to be a carrier of the chemical compound themselves. The offspring had a 45% chance of the chemical triggering and becoming active, not simply dormant.

Why this mattered, Amaris couldn't immediately say. The first implication was that any Pokemon injected with the blue stuff might not become a full-fledged alpha themselves, but their progeny definitely had a good chance of it. The alpha gene would be present in the new generation at birth, and roughly half of the Pokemon born to that one would develop the needed glands and become legitimate alphas.

Alright, so the implications of that revelation were pretty staggering. This drug, in the wrong hands, would spark at the least a very lucrative trade in Pokemon that were tailor-made to dominate other Pokemon. It would certainly make capturing wilds a lot easier if one possessed a Pokemon that could cause—what was it? The abrupt cessation of all movement—muscle fatigue—slow reflexes? At the worst, Amaris' brain spun images of super-powered Pokemon armies. It was a little far-fetched, but he had been very well-versed in far-fetched ever since the day Gina had found him half-asleep in the Viridian Pokemon Center.

Amaris imagined Nathan Fremont taking these syringes and injecting his Jolteon or Electabuzz, maybe registering his Pokemon on to find them ideal mates. Enjoys long walks on the beach and paralyzing opponents with Thunder Wave. Let the breeding of super Pokemon babies begin. Amaris scrubbed his face with his hands and sighed hard. This was getting so far over their heads it was not funny in this universe, or any other possible alternate universe.

It hit him like a double-decker bus as he was putting the pages of report 23 back in order from where he had strewn them all over the ground. He was back at Fremont's metal case in an instant, his fingers stumbling clumsily over the clasp. His frustration was paramount by the time he threw the lid open and snatched up one of the syringes.

It was large, as far as syringes went, but the needle point was very delicate. Amaris almost forgot the cardinal rule of lab work, his fingers hovering just over the shaft of the needle before he remembered. He placed it gently down and grabbed a glove from the dispenser under the table, slapped it on his right hand, and tested the flexibility of the needle. It didn't bend easily under his fingers, but it did just enough to give him his answer. Amaris put it back into its slot in the black foam and leaned over the table, feeling dizzy.

Syringes intended for Pokemon needed to be almost comically strong and sharp. When Amaris had first seen a Charmander getting a booster shot against a nasty flu going around, he'd been rather horrified. The needle had looked like something out of a horror flick, thicker than he thought was strictly necessary and quite long. He'd been young enough to ask the research aide why he wasn't being more humane and using a "normal" shot. The aide had calmly explained that any Pokemon's hide was roughly three times thicker and stronger than a human's. There was no way needles from the vaccinations Amaris had been given last month would ever pierce even a Jigglypuff's deceptively soft flesh. It was why Pokemon could battle one another so enthusiastically and not sustain very many lasting injuries. The Charmander had attempted a level-five approximation of Ember then, and in the resulting smoke and shrill beeping of the fire alarm, Amaris had slipped away. He sure as hell didn't want to stick around to watch the Charmander get stabbed by that monster syringe.

The four syringes in the foam case, one of them only half-full of blue stuff now, were relatively large as far as syringes went. They were nowhere near large enough, however, for even that metaphorical Jigglypuff. These were intended for human use.

Stupid excuses raced through his brain for a few moments. _Doesn't mean anything. Maybe these syringes were all that was available, or maybe they were just idiots and thought these would be good enough for a Pokemon._

_Yeah, that's it, _Amaris countered, his internal voice cold and cynical. _People who have the technology and the means to refine this chemical would just so happen to forget something that elementary. They wouldn't have the proper medical tools on hand. Maybe they ran out. "Oh shoots, _that_ was what we forgot on the shopping list! Oh well, at least I remembered the milk!"_

He was in some wicked denial, which was utterly out of character. Amaris took a few steadying breaths, lifted his head and stared hard at the opposite wall. Through the glass window on the door he could see that the lab across the hall had that damnedable cardboard plastered against it. The police had told him his uncle must have hefted up a chair and smashed through the glass. He'd scrawled his embittered, cryptic final words on the wall, torn and burned years of research, wiped databases clean, and finally had waded out into the ocean, lab coat still on. Amaris had thought they'd been joking, a terrible, tasteless joke. The feeling he'd had when he realized they weren't was a lot like this one.

Denial was an ugly thing.

Nathan Fremont was using this drug on himself. There was really no other explanation. What it would do to a human was beyond Amaris. His uncle's research, understandably, had not covered that possibility.

The worst question, the one that hung over him as sunlight began to edge tentatively into the lab, remained unanswered. Rosy dawn spilled across the three metal tabletops, and what surface was left uncovered by paper gleamed gold. The light somehow made him feel colder. The others would be up soon—heck, Gav probably already was. Would he be in as soon as four?

Amaris made his decision in a split second, gathering the papers hastily and stuffing them into brown accordion files and manila folders, clipping things together without knowing if they were in the right order. Sheafs of paper stuck out at awkward angles, like broken wings. Why had he printed over eight hundred pages of research material? Where the hell would he stash this? It would be noticed right away if he left it on one of the shelves.

Jason had taken to sleeping on the couch.

Amaris turned off the lights, left the damning information blinking softly on the analysis machine, and locked the door behind him. Traditional key, turned once. Card key swiped over the little black display.

Back in the Ikeda's truly tiny guest bedroom, more of a storage closet with a few futons than anything, Amaris dropped the stacks of papers to the ground. His arms ached.

He had no clue what he'd tell Gav when they headed down to the labs together. He'd want to know what the display said, and what all those numbers and charts meant.

Amaris needed to ask himself, objectively and honestly, what the odds were of finding out the answer to the worst question on his own, before the others needed to be informed of this catastrophic finding. If he could just answer that one question, it could save them all a whole lot of unneeded stress and fear.

When, precisely, had Nathan Fremont started using the blue stuff? Had it been recently, since Orion had never seen the metal case before?

Had it been earlier? A few years back, perhaps more? Thirteen years? Seventeen?

Before his two sons had been born?

* * *

"This is sort of complex. I'll need a little time to decipher it."

Gav nodded once, not even questioning him. The oldest Harrison sibling looked a little ridiculous in the goggles. He seemed like such an outdoorsy type, in spite of the strong streak of geek that ran through him. He looked like he was playing an inane version of dress-up with the gloves and the coat.

"Okay. I'm gonna go back to the S files in the meantime. Call me over if you figure anything out."

Amaris normally would have said something like _no, of course not, I'll keep it all to myself. _The usual sarcasm didn't feel right when it was the truth.

Gav moved off and Amaris flicked through the different display screens. He wasn't reading anything, and was quite sure at this point he could recite most of the digital readings in scientific shorthand from memory. His brain was wracked with possibility after possibility (and dead-end after dead-end) for determining the ballpark date of Fremont's first foray into incredibly volatile substances.

Going back to Vermillion on his own was, of course, out of the question. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to find anything out, anyway. They'd combed through the house in the Gym district and hadn't seen any files.

_We should have gone into the Gym, _Amaris thought bitterly for the hundredth time. _There might have been some kind of information there. _

Grilling Orion for information would be useless, and suspicious to boot. He was certain the older Fremont brother wouldn't be able to reveal to him any kind of overlooked clue. He'd been just as baffled to find the syringes as the rest of them.

"Can I—" Gina's voice near his elbow startled him so badly he almost sent a row of empty flasks crashing to the ground. Even as he spun to her and growled, "dammit, Ikeda!" he thought dimly that it would have been the solution to one problem if he'd accidentally sent the chemicals and analysis machine flying.

"Whoa," she said, backing up at once. "Sorry. I called your name from over there, thought you were just ignoring me. You know, like usual." She frowned at him and peered into his face, and Amaris felt bizarrely stripped bare. "Are you okay?" she mouthed, suspicion forming on her features. He could tell that most of the others were paying attention to them now. Amaris tried to summon something snide and typical to say to her, but his normally rich reel of comebacks was flashing empty frames. Gina continued, muttering a little quieter. "Can I help with some of the data? I still remember a few things here and there… just, little codes and phrases the professor taught me."

"Gina, no offense, but your rather negligible knowledge of scientific terms from our childhood will hardly help." Amaris' heart was pounding, and he fought the urge to cover the display screen as Gina scowled at him and leaned over it to read.

"You're such an ass. See, look, I remember those terms." To prove her point, she translated, "Stim. obviously means this is a stimulant. Professor Drake said the number next to it usually indicated the potency—so this stuff is pretty potent."

"Illuminating," Amaris said in a dry, venomous whisper, but it was too late. Their back-and-forth had drawn Gav out.

"Why are you being so difficult?" Gina asked, sounding genuinely bewildered. "Just print me a copy of the stuff and you can laugh at me later when I fail to figure out most of it. Hi, Gav," she added, and Gav quirked an eyebrow at Amaris.

"I don't mean to hover, but it sounds like a good idea. Couldn't hurt, anyway. Print us up a few copies?"

It was a request, but it felt like a command since there was no way for Amaris to reasonably decline. He sent the data to the printer, a sinking feeling of resignation beginning to take hold. There was definitely one part that Gav, Gina, or anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of the English language would quickly decipher. Five pages in was the list of reference materials—the two published articles and the twenty secret reports by his uncle.

"What? How is it out of paper?" Kaylee asked, sliding open both trays on the printer. "Do you know where they keep the stash?"

"Here," Victoria said, not looking away from her computer screen while she reached under her table and pulled out a fresh ream for Kaylee. Kaylee tore the packaging open and refilled the tray, and Amaris stared blankly at the printer's flashing service light.

It had been a somewhat startling realization that he felt something very akin to protectiveness towards this group of often-irrational, frequently-ludicrous conspiracy theorists. He had not kept this to himself because he didn't trust them, or because he assumed they would waste time freaking out over the truthfully frightening implications.

He had simply not wanted to see the cold dread on Orion or Jason's face, or the stark, devastated worry on Gina, or any of the others.

Gina was reading him like the front page of the Pallet Tribune. He wondered what his face had given away. He had once been so good at never letting anything show, but it was also possible that she had just learned his subtle cues over the years. How utterly inconvenient. She pulled out her Dex and typed something out, and in preparation Amaris pulled his own out of his coat pocket.

_what do you know?_

Amaris stared down at the four words, his mind blank on a response. Kaylee was struggling with the printer, unable to figure out that pressing the big green button would tell the machine that it now had paper. Amaris was reminded of Gina, crawling around on the ground near the copy machine, convinced the thing was not plugged in.

Slowly, he typed out his response. _i came here early this morning. i wasn't lying when i said it's complex._

_we have a full disclosure policy, but honestly you've got me really freaked out now. what's so complex that you don't want gave and the others to know about it?_

Amaris' eyes lingered over the auto-correct of Gav's name, a common typo among their group and their not-so-smart phones. If they just added his name to their text dictionaries… he had no clue why his brain was off on these tangents.

Gina's hand touched briefly against his arm, and he flinched. She didn't move it, though, and he made the mistake of looking her in the face.

It was too late. There was that budding dread, the growing concern he had been trying to avoid. His eyes shot up to Jason and Orion, involuntarily. The Fremont brothers were looking over an enormous book together. Orion looked pretty good today. His face had a bit more color and he wasn't looking like the mere act of standing was a monumental feat. Jason was still buzzed on the high of his starter's evolution from the previous day. It hung around him like a palpable haze.

Gina actually swallowed audibly. "Come outside?" she asked, her voice betraying the fear she felt. Amaris nodded once, curtly. No one questioned it when they headed out together; Beth and Victoria were now attracting most of the room's attention in their failure to decipher a coffee-stained manual about the printer, and Gav was heading over to work his techno-magic on it.

"Come with me," Amaris said once the door was closed. Gina didn't ask questions or drill the "no secrets" policy into his head. She just followed, grave-faced and silent.

Her mother was in the kitchen when they got there, and Amaris thought she might have complimented him on the coat. Gina had said something like, "he does, right?" in response, her laugh a little strained. Amaris had been at the top of the stairs by the time she caught up again. He pushed the door to his room open and walked straight to the largest accordion file with the papers half-spilled out.

She finally asked a question. "What's all this?"

"The stuff I printed out this morning at three a.m." He motioned for her to help gather the files up and keep them from dumping their contents all over the floor. "This is going to be the cliff-notes version, but you might want to have a seat. This might take a while."

* * *

When they made it back to the labs half an hour later, the others were waiting.

"Hey," Gav said, a pencil behind his ear and his PDA glued to one hand as usual. A page from the print-out was in his other one. "We're gonna need your help finding some of your uncle's… uh, what's all that?" he said, cutting himself off and indicating the files Gina and he put down on the table.

"These are the files you'll need," Amaris said, his voice flat. His three hours of sleep were finally starting to feel woefully inadequate. "My uncle's research," he clarified.

"You… got these from where…?" Victoria asked, getting up and walking over to them. Amaris expected her to look shrewd and suspicious, and wondered why it felt worse that she just looked confused.

"Jeez, you guys," Jason said, walking around the edge of one of the tables and over to Gina. The look she gave him was full of so much stripped emotion that Amaris had to look away. "Oh man, what happened?"

Predictably, the others were upset that he had tried to hide his findings from them at first. Kaylee had attempted to interrupt him a few times until Gina had actually snapped at her to stop. This, more than anything, shut the rest of the room up. Amaris felt like he was giving a report in school again, reciting facts he had committed to memory without emotion. He didn't quite have the strength to look at either of the Fremonts, even when he was concluding. "I don't know what Factor A does to humans. It might be in the rest of my uncle's research, but I somehow doubt it. His focus would have been exclusively Pokemon. Obviously."

He had skirted around the "worst question." Gina and he were the only two who were privy to this frightening possibility. He had been a little surprised when she had agreed vehemently with his idea to keep it that way. _If the others come to that conclusion on their own, fine, _she'd said, her eyes hard and frightened at the same time._ But that drug only showed up in Fremont's bedroom sometime in the past year and a half. He and Jason are fine. They don't deserve another thing to stress about._

The room was silent for a moment while Amaris' story digested. Kaylee, a lot meeker than Amaris was used to seeing her, asked a few things for clarification. Then Beth submitted a few questions of her own. Amaris answered concisely and robotically.

"We need the rest of that research, every single thing your uncle ever wrote on the subject," Gav said, breaking the halting silence. "Can't draw any conclusions until we do that."

The silence was a tense, palpable thing, though, and it was impossible to miss the way most of them were trying their best not to look at Orion. Some of them remained unaware, though.

Jason shook his head, looking disturbed, but not stricken. "What the heck is dad getting into?" he wondered softly. Gina's attention was arrested by her best friend, and Amaris silently willed her to do a better job hiding her concern. Her still-somewhat-sick look was a little disproportionate for concern over Nathan Fremont.

It was a while before he finally gave in to the temptation to gauge Orion's reaction. Orion's face was expressionless and neutral, except for his eyes. They were fixed on nothing, gazing through everything at an undeterminable point. His careful, even breathing had Amaris flashing back to a gaggle of insensitive old women, invasive questions about his uncle, and Gina's brilliantly timed fake phone call. He remembered the prickling across his skin and the tunnel vision perfectly. Orion was very, very carefully staving off a panic attack and trying not to look like he was.

Amaris had always figured the older Fremont was a little delicate, as far as nerves went. He seemed a little more nervous than most people his age, and for someone who stood over six feet tall he seemed to prefer hanging at the periphery, unobtrusive and unimposing. It was possible that this news was bringing up bad memories of his father, or any number of other things. In reality, though, he was probably wondering if this had anything to do with his bizarre reaction to the aggro device in Silph. That had to be it; it was a logical concern. Orion had lived in the home where this drug appeared, and strange things had been happening to him. There was no direct correlation, though, as the report had said nothing about barely-perceptible noise causing a subject intense pain. Plus, surely Orion would remember if his own father had been injecting him with glowing, blue syringes. That tended to be something a person would recall. Perhaps even now, as Orion turned away and busied himself with sorting reports, he was dismissing his fears as paranoia. Perhaps the others, now absorbed in their own work, were shelving those concerns as well.

As Amaris pointed the four teens at the computers to the database where they could look up the rest of his uncle's files, he tried to shake his lingering dread.

_No. Orion knows something more and he's not telling. So much for full disclosure. _

He sincerely hoped that the incredibly perceptive inner voice was mistaken this time.

* * *

_Author's Note: Again, my readers are psychic-huge mood shift in this chapter. _

_On a totally unrelated note, check out my profile. In my latest post I put up a link to a few sketches I did last night. I wanted to get them up ASAP since Scarlet now has over 50 reviews. Thank you so much, everybody. Hope you had a great New Year's Eve!_


	21. A Bad Habit :Amaris:

Pokemon Scarlet

Chapter 21: A Bad Habit

(Amaris Drake)

"What are you looking into the private databases for?"

Amaris was seriously starting to resent how many questions were being asked of him that left him utterly stumped. This was turning into a bad habit.

Gina was the one who jumped in with the response. "We're studying aggression. In wild Pokemon versus captured ones."

Amaris sighed, trying to play it off like he was too busy to be bothered by inane questions like this one. "Is there a problem with me reading my own uncle's research?" he asked Alana, his tone controlled and as polite as he could muster. She'd been among the researchers he'd had the best rapport with.

Alana looked perhaps a little unconvinced, but left it at that. "No, of course not. Read all you like. It's just, whenever someone logs into that database I get a notification on my PDA," she clarified. "But I'll set it up so I don't get notified whenever you use your passcode." She typed away at something. "If you think you'll be in the database a lot, that is."

"Yes, I imagine so. Some of uncle's work is quite relevant to our studies." Amaris wasn't looking at her any longer, but wasn't really paying attention to his notes, either. His attention was trained on Gina and Alana.

"Sorry," Gina said, sounding sheepish. "Hope it's not too much trouble."

That seemed to work better than Amaris' approach had, and Alana chuckled. "Of course not. Just let me know if you guys think you'll be going into any of the other locked databases, okay? Have fun, you guys."

Gina responded with some kind of comment about the definition of fun, but Amaris wasn't listening. This week had been decidedly horrendous to his nerves.

Beyond the discovery of the Alpha gene, Factor A, and the true chemical properties of the blue stuff; beyond returning to Pallet for the first time since his uncle's death; beyond getting sympathetic, nervous glances cast to him whenever he went out in public; beyond enduring the awkward condolences and even more awkward avoidance behavior of some of his fellow townsfolk; beyond all that, Amaris had been given one more thing to dread two days ago. Alana had approached him, uncertain, and whatever Amaris had been expecting, it wasn't what she said. There were some things of his uncle's, personal effects to go through. He was to select the things he wanted to keep and the things he would prefer donated. Amaris hadn't been able to respond right away, and had been on the receiving end of another one of those awkward, sympathetic looks. "I'll do it later," had been the automatic response, and he knew full well that "later" might turn into "not in a million years."

They'd been holed up in lab four for the better part of a week. Gina's mother was seeing very little of them, and when she'd finally expressed fretful concern that their stay in Pallet was half over, Gina had admitted that they could end up being in town for closer to a month. Contrary to what Amaris had expected, Gina's mother hadn't seemed necessarily overjoyed. She was happy, of course, but there was a lingering, unasked question that hung heavy in the air of the Ikeda household. She had to know her daughter was keeping something from her. Amaris found it fascinating that she didn't ask. His own uncle had always been dauntingly pushy when it came to discovering the things Amaris tried to keep hidden.

The Harrisons and Larsons were situated at the four computers, the Nakawas were searching through the catalogues of books in-house for anything relevant, Gina and Jason were cross-referencing the files they'd brought from Edith's for overlapping content, Amaris was glued to the chem station, and Orion had taken up reading through certain additional reports from the professor's collection. Orion had let the others know he was handling reports 19, 24 and 29, and when Amaris had looked those numbers up on the private database, they'd all been about the same subject. Orion was inundating himself in research about the adverse effects and issues that arose in alphas. It made sense that he'd want to know what dangers his father had gotten himself into. Perhaps it would even shed light onto the man's behavior in the past. Still, the niggling feeling that there was more to it than that continued to grow.

Amaris had no time to ponder Orion's interests and odd behavioral quirks. He was running the blue stuff through a series of much more delicate tests, attempting not to screw up too many times. Though the syringes held a considerable amount of liquid, they had a limited supply. He'd clamped down on curses and the urge to upturn a table when he'd ruined one test batch completely. It had been a close thing, though. Not for the first time, Amaris wished they could get the other Pallet scientists in on the process. He was straying farther and farther into the territory of "I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

An unpleasant and unexpected side-effect of confiding the entire story to Gina was that he and she were barely speaking now. If anything he'd thought she would want to check in with him frequently, interested in any findings that would continue to disprove the disturbing idea that the gene was dormant in the Fremont brothers. At this rate, though, it looked like Gina was trying to put the entire matter from her mind completely, and apparently speaking to Amaris was an unwanted reminder that the possibility, however slim, was still there. He was surprised at how much this bothered him.

The one time she did speak up to him, she unintentionally blew his mind.

"Amaris," she said suddenly, looking up to him from where she was situated, cross-legged on one of the tables. They really had to request some chairs for this place. "When we were leaving… uh, Freddy's house." Amaris really was not a fan of some of their code words. "You said you thought the blue stuff reminded you of something, yeah? You were looking on your Dex?"

Amaris' brain stuttered and stopped. He knew for a fact that his face gave away the shock at the uncovered memory, and soon the entire room's attention was on him again. "Yes," he said simply, pulling out his Dex, slipping the goggles up onto his messy hair, and flipping through his files. He'd been searching through his Dex in vain for a while during their walk, but had become distracted. He'd bookmarked the file he'd stopped at, shoved his Dex out of sight, and had made a mental note to return to the search later, which he'd never done.

That was all irrelevant now, though. Amaris had evidently just needed to put the issue on the backburner for a few weeks, because now the memory he had been searching for emerged willingly to him, an image offered up on a silver platter. Amaris had called up the file in an instant, and Gina was at his elbow, peering into his screen a second later.

The picture wasn't too great since there had been very little light in that hidden area of Silph. The image was snapped quickly, an afterthought, and though it had been passingly interesting at the time it was understandable that the rest of the night's events had driven it out of his mind.

"Holy crap," Gina muttered, and the others gave up tact and moved in on all sides, straining to get a glimpse of the syringes full of blue liquid laid out on the table in one of Silph's labs.

Gav's question was immediate, and very similar to Victoria's.

"Did you grab any files from that place?"

"What else did you get from there?"

"Not much," Amaris admitted, bitterly regretting his halfhearted, nonchalant doc scanning while he meandered through the rooms. In a moment he had transferred the files to Gav's PDA.

"It's a little out of order," Gav admitted, flicking through pages. "It's a lot less jargon than your uncle's research, though. Easier to understand."

"Oh, good," Orion said, putting his pile of papers down. "Since I'm already halfway through these new reports, mind if I add that to my stack?" A few people shot him questioning looks, and he cracked his neck. "Obviously this stuff is relevant to dad, and I'm interested and all, but I need a break. Easier lingo sounds divine."

Gav hesitated for a fraction of a second. Amaris could only guess at the options he was weighing in his head, but in the end he seemed to decide that, of all people, Orion deserved to go through this information first. "Yeah, okay. I'll print this out."

Victoria exchanged a look with Gav, but said nothing. She moved off back to her computer and Gav followed to plug the printer's USB cable into the port on his PDA. She didn't sit down though, and drummed her fingers on the tabletop for a few moments while Gav sorted and sent the data through the machines.

"If this thing has something to do with Silph, we really will need the rest of our files." Gav glanced at her while the documents transferred. "We didn't bring everything with us, and there might be something we need back at Edith's."

"Good point," Beth said, sitting backwards in her computer chair so she could face the rest of the group. "Maybe we can send Jason or Amaris back to pick them up?"

"Jason," Amaris affirmed, turning back to the chemical analysis now that the matter was out of his hands. "I'm busy."

"Question, though," Blake asked from one of the bookshelves. "If we bring all the backup discs from Edith's place, what are we going to do? Load them up on these computers?"

"That's the idea," Kaylee said, sounding a little irate. The girl appeared to be in a perpetual bad mood these days.

"Okay, we're gonna load the data onto these computers knowing full well that the researchers are hooked up to the grid. Alana gets notifications whenever we access the restricted database, and who's to say they won't be able to read some of the stuff we stole?" Amaris gave up trying to focus on the blue stuff, slid his goggles back up onto his forehead, and turned to face Zahlia's brother. Blake's arms were crossed over one of the metal tables now, and he glanced at each face from behind a mop of dark bangs. "Just seems like an unnecessary safety risk."

"He's right," Gav said, sounding extremely exhausted all of the sudden. "If we can avoid using these computers for our sensitive material, and avoid leaving anything of that nature out in the open, we need to."

"So… what are we going to do, then?" Beth asked, frowning. "Have some of us go back to Pallet and do half the research there?"

"Yes," Victoria said decisively. "We'll send some people back with the Kadabras tomorrow. For today I think we've got more than enough to work on."

"Right," Gav agreed, giving Orion a stack of roughly fifty printed sheets. To Orion, he said, "tell me the second you see anything I can start searching for in the files on my PDA."

"Yeah," Orion said, but his eyes were already glued to the top page, scanning over the text. Amaris got the feeling Gav could have asked him to put on a drag show and the perfunctory answer would have been "yeah."

His interest piqued anew, Amaris turned back to the lab station, but pulled his Dex closer to him across the narrow table. It was hard to read the scanned images on the small screen, but he enlarged the words and flicked the documents back and forth like a type-writer.

The information he'd grabbed seemed to be useless at first. It contained a long disclaimer about how the drug was still in its prototype phase—something that did not bode well for Nathan Fremont, Amaris thought. Frustrated with the long-winded request for more time to perfect it, Amaris flicked through page after page until another phrase jumped out at him.

_Though healthy test subjects exist, this is not a signal that 12.3FA0845 is safe for human use. A number of severe, adverse reactions have been documented—see Henderson report, sections 1-12._

Amaris had a feeling he knew the answer already, but he flipped frantically across his screen anyway, hunting for the Henderson report. From somewhere behind him he could hear Orion shuffling through the print-outs, probably doing the exact same thing. Amaris discovered he didn't have the Henderson report about half a minute before Orion realized it too. Frustrated, he subtly slid his Dex back in his pocket and stared at the blue stuff, needing a mental break.

Severe, adverse reactions. Healthy test subjects "exist." Like trying to assure someone Santa Claus was real. The wording was nothing if not bleak. How many test subjects had been afflicted with these unknown side-effects? What was the proportion of healthy subjects to unhealthy ones?

"Nothing much," Orion spoke up behind him. Amaris didn't turn around to look, but shifting sounds told him most of the others had. "Disclaimers mostly about how this stuff, obviously, shouldn't be marketed."

"Frustrating," Kaylee said, sighing. "That's it?"

"Essentially, yeah," Orion said. "Be right back."

Amaris' eyes followed the older Fremont brother's progress as he passed by and out the door. After a second, Amaris tossed his gloves, rested his goggles on the table, and turned to follow. He couldn't make any decisions without knowing what the hell Orion was in on.

He almost ran into Zahlia at the door, not realizing she apparently had the same idea. They locked eyes for a second, assessing one another, and Amaris stopped, letting her go first. She probably thought he was conceding to let her speak with Orion alone, but she was mistaken.

When they were both out in the hallway, he said, "So, you're not buying his act, either?"

Zahlia stopped and turned to face him, looking a little irritated. It was not an expression he normally saw on her—he usually never saw expressions on her at all. "What are you doing out here, then?"

"Same as you," he said, cutting to the chase. "Do you know something about this?"

"No," she said at once. "But I'm worried about him. No offense, but have you ever actually spoken two words to Orion before?"

Amaris crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "I fail to see how this is relevant."

"He won't tell you anything," she said, blunt as a right cross. "He probably won't tell me anything, either, but I have much better odds."

He said it before he could stop himself. "Oh, you think so? Given your history of being completely trustworthy?"

For a second there was undisguised anger in her dark eyes, and Amaris was peripherally surprised she didn't sic Haunter on him. Evidently she decided not to grace that with a response, or figured she was losing time to catch up to Orion. She turned heel and dashed off down the hall, and Amaris remained in place. The twisting sensation in his stomach was probably guilt, and he was utterly unacquainted with it and decidedly not a fan.

* * *

He'd meant to lock up the labs, find a box to make carrying the endless files easier, and head back to the Ikeda's broom-closet-slash-guest-room. He managed the first two things, and now, looking down at box after box labeled "Andrew Drake – personal" he deeply regretted not jumping straight to the third item and getting the hell out of here.

Somehow he felt compelled to stay now that he was here. Amaris had never been a spiritual person, which was a common side-effect of one who was raised around a bunch of empirically-minded scientists, but for the first time he could see what people meant when they spoke of a "presence." The combination of memories assaulting his senses and the preternatural quiet in the Drake's tiny living room had an effect that was simultaneously unsettling and oddly comforting. It truly felt like his uncle would appear at the door to the bedroom at any moment, Amaris' Gameboy in hand, halfway through beating the final level of a game he'd bought "for his nephew."

Someone had really done a number on the tiny, narrow living quarters at the back of the research center where Amaris had grown up. They'd never really had a whole lot of personal effects between the two of them, so he wasn't more perturbed than usual to see kitchen chairs broken on the ground, or more of the stupid cardboard taped over the small window at the back. They'd spent a remarkably small percent of their lives in this space, often returning only to sleep. Their real "home" was the rest of the center. Everything from the unbearably awkward "birds and the bees" talk to serious heart-to-hearts happened out in the tiny greenhouse. Holidays were spent around the sulfurous glow of computer monitors, sharing cups of apple cider, checking up on scrolling lines of data. Birthdays took place crowded around one of the long, surgically-clean metal tables, cake cut and served on flimsy paper plates. Everyone always ate standing up.

Someone had cut through the yellow caution tape that had been stretched over the kicked-in door. Whatever criminal evidence had been there almost six months ago was definitely gone now. Countless people had been tromping in and out of the living space, but in spite of that, he could still smell his uncle's aftershave.

The boxes piled in the middle of the living room might as well have been the Indigo Plateau. He could feel their weight, contents, and implication settle in his stomach like lead. Amaris put down his box of files and sat on the ground, staring at the six cardboard boxes. They weren't specifically labeled beyond what was necessary. No one had rifled through these things and sorted them into clothing, books, movies, trinkets, miscellaneous. That was his job.

Getting to his feet, Amaris let out a slow breath and tossed one of the cardboard lids aside before he could chicken out.

Prescription pill bottles—his uncle had suffered from migraines and Amaris had frequently been sent to the bathroom to rifle around in their sparse medicine cabinet for these, his uncle lying in bed with his head stuffed under a pillow. Tiny little speakers still hooked up to a small sub-woofer—as a former punk rock drummer, Andrew Drake had of course been a music snob. Songs played out of anything less were not acceptable. A remote control—for all his scientific and technical know-how, his uncle had been remarkably lazy in certain areas of his life. The remote was broken; Amaris had to lower the volume in order to change the channel and vice versa. It would have been an easy fix, but it was always put off. They barely ever watched television, and anyway, they had all the time in the world to tinker with things like that.

There was absolutely no way he could do this right now. Feeling strangled and unbearably hot all of the sudden, Amaris groped on the ground for the box lid. It was poised above the treacherous contents of the first box when something caught his eye. Nestled between his uncle's hideous spare glasses and one of his deteriorating belts was a little flash-drive on a lanyard necklace. It wasn't anything remarkable, but the paper tag hooked to it read "Nidoranarchy."

On impulse, he reached out, detangled it from the mess within, and pocketed it. Maybe someday, perhaps years from now, he'd be able to open the thing and laugh at pictures of a younger Andrew Drake with black nail polish and a rust-colored Mohawk.

At the doorway he paused, the box of Factor A files under his arm feeling much heavier. For a second he wondered if his uncle would have been disappointed in him, running away from the things that they had shared together. The thought was pushed from his mind quickly, but the nauseated shame remained. His uncle wouldn't have been disappointed, of course not. Amaris' own criticism was much harsher.

His Dex buzzed in his pocket and he yanked it out, desperate for a distraction. It was from Gina. _where are you? mom made grilled cheese and jason almost set my house on fire._

He huffed out a laugh and blinked his stinging eyes. Feeling shaky and raw, he forced his legs to carry him away from the small apartment, through the dark labs, and out into the night. Grilled cheese and attempted arson sounded divine right now.

* * *

The next day everything went to hell. It happened in stages.

At first the group simply had some trouble deciding who to send back to Edith's to start looking through the rest of the Silph files. Beth and Kaylee had naturally assumed they would be the ones to go, but Orion and Zahlia also volunteered. This odd mix caused a few uncomfortable questions, a little one-sided verbal scuffle between Zahlia and Kaylee, and culminated in Victoria venomously declaring she would be accompanying all of them, and they would get along or so help her god she'd make them. Amaris felt a bit sorry for Beth, caught in the middle of the drama as usual, and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the Kadabras took the five back to Viridian. It was obnoxious, but rather typical of their group as of late.

He turned back to the lab station and checked on the more delicate machinery that had been running an analysis of the toxicity of the blue stuff. That was when the second issue emerged, initially curious but with the promise of mounting complications. Amaris read the new results, then read them again. Somewhere behind him the Kadabras returned. He pushed his goggles back up on his head for the umpteenth time that day, leaned close to the screen, and tried to see if he was mistaken.

"This can _not_ be right," he muttered to himself, turning to look into the open metal case behind him. They had run out of fluid in one syringe already, and had started on the second one. Amaris lifted the other two that remained untouched, and compared them side-by-side with the two he had on the lab table. All four were identical. Amaris knew it wouldn't be as simple as finding that one syringe in particular had "EXTREMELY DEADLY POISON" scrawled on it in sharpie, but it made his job harder.

The chem lab analysis had just told him that the blue stuff, against all logic and reason, was more akin to arsenic than any kind of stimulant, performance-enhancing, Pokemon-manipulating substance. Amaris frowned over the two machines, comparing the notes side-by-side. Though the blue stuff had come from the same case, and empirically identical syringes, they could not be more different on a chemical level. The only overlapping property he spotted was the strange, phosphorous agent that made both samples glow blue. It made utterly no sense.

He heard shoes clacking down the hall before he realized that this was a bad thing. The next stage was underway. Deep in scientific detective mode, Amaris drummed his fingers on the tabletop and searched for some explanation to the jarringly different findings. He was just contemplating wiping the system clean and starting from scratch when the door to lab four opened.

Alana typically did not bother them in here. The only time she had come by was to ask about the restricted database, and Amaris knew that unless it was important, she'd stay away. It was sort of the first commandment of the research center: thou shalt not interrupt the work of thy fellow researchers. Amaris glanced up at her quickly, then back down at the findings, and then glanced up again, frowning. The look on her face was indecipherable, but decidedly bad.

"Gina, Amaris?" she asked quietly, drawing the attention of some, but not all of their group. The two of them exchanged a look, then turned back to Alana. She made a gesture with her head to get them to follow her outside, and after a moment of hesitation, they did.

Alana motioned for them to close the door, and Amaris hesitated for even longer before doing so. Then he crossed his arms and stood taller, scrutinizing Alana, while Gina seemed to be struggling not to shrink down beside him like a bad student.

"Our system… was just flagged again," Alana said, very carefully, the words sounding difficult and censored. "I've been leaving you all alone until now, but this is serious. Why in the world do you have such a deadly substance with you? Where did you even get it?"

Gina moved back slightly in surprise and made half a sound of confused protest beside him. Amaris attempted to telepathically will her to try just a little harder to have _any _kind of poker face. To Alana, he said, "is there a problem?" Gina seemed ready to argue, since she obviously did not yet know that one of their syringes inexplicably held a fast-acting, vicious toxin, and Amaris cut her off. "I assure you, it was nothing illegal, if that's what you're getting at." Though he was a convincing liar, Amaris liked to avoid using this skill whenever possible.

"Then why can't you just tell me?" Alana said, casting a glance past his shoulder into lab four again. "This is serious. I've never, ever seen anything so chemically potent in my life. This stuff, if introduced into your system in even the smallest of cuts, would kill you in minutes. Not even going into why you have it in the first place, it is insanely dangerous. None of you are anywhere near qualified to handle a chemical like this."

Amaris listened to her calmly—on the surface, anyway. Beside him Gina seemed to be growing more and more uncomfortable, and Amaris' mind was whirling through possibilities. Amaris figured Alana hadn't shared any of this with the other researchers yet, wanting to come and ask questions first. The odds of talking her down from her concerns were slim to none, and from the way it was looking, she was angling to confiscate the blue stuff. If this place hadn't changed too much in the past year and a half, he knew they would save the data they uncovered and destroy the chemical substance immediately. That, obviously, was not acceptable. This was their single biggest clue, a piece of hard, irrefutable evidence that something incredibly illegal and incriminating was going on at Silph.

Gina seemed to reach the same conclusion around the same time. "So, what do you want us to do?" she asked, and Amaris listened patiently for the answer, a little surprised. It wouldn't have occurred to him to ask Alana outright for what she was thinking.

Alana paused, then confirmed his exact suspicions. "I don't know what kind of research project you have going on, but that stuff is way too dangerous to be studied here. We don't have the tools or the means… it's about as far away from our specialty as it gets. And I don't think you should keep it. Take your data, but give me the toxin. It really needs to be disposed of." There was a pause, and Alana added, "and if there's someone who's… I don't know, selling this stuff, we need to figure out who they are immediately. Please, talk to me."

Amaris kept his expression stony and unreadable, but he had made up his mind the second she had started speaking. Now it was time for a new approach, and a quick solution; time was of the essence. Who knew how many other researchers would go to check in on the system flag? The final stage of this abject ruin of a day was in motion.

"Alana, would you ever turn me over to the authorities?"

The question was so out of the left field that both Gina and Alana did a double-take to him, breaking their uncomfortable staring contest with each other. Amaris did not blink, keeping his gaze level and his tone light. Alana mouthed for a second, then frowned deeply.

"Amaris, what does this have to—"

"If you would please answer the question. If you did not have irrefutable evidence that this substance was obtained illegally, which I might remind you, you don't… would you turn me over to the authorities and have them start an investigation?"

Alana's face turned slightly red, and Amaris knew it was out of rare, offended anger. He had heard her talking in a passionate whisper to one of her colleagues in those painful days after his uncle's death. Her poisonous disdain for the police response, their inane conclusion of suicide, and their absolute inability to see any other possibility almost rivaled that of Amaris' own. After a second she let out a slow breath and said, with more than an edge of hurt, "I can't believe you'd even ask me that question. For the record, of course not. We deal with issues in-house."

"Good," Amaris said, and grabbed Gina's wrist. He yanked the door to lab four open, shoved her inside, and slammed it shut behind them, engaging the lock.

Gav only had time to utter, "what—" before Amaris launched into the instructions.

"We need to get out of here, now," he said, tearing off the coat, goggles, and gloves. On complete autopilot he dropped the discarded gloves into the biohazard trash can rather than tossing them to the floor. "We need to take everything with us, and leave no evidence we were ever here behind. We're not coming back."

Amaris had expected protests and questions, but the elder Harrison fell into Fearless Leader mode instantly, delegating tasks left and right. "Gina, print out all the new findings from the lab station. Amaris, wipe that system when you're done. You know how?"

"Yes," Amaris said, and turned to head over to the wall, knowing his job. Gina scrambled to the small computer screen beside the chemical analysis machines, the sounds of Alana pounding on the door and yelling something at them interspersing Gav's next orders.

"Blake, start gathering all our hard files and other things. Get them in a pile." Blake moved off with quick, controlled purpose, not scrambling or running. "Jason, get the blue stuff, carefully. Don't leave any empty syringes or microscope slides behind." Jason dashed off to obey the orders and Gav headed straight to the four computers, firing up all the ones that were turned off and tapping keys like a frenzied pianist. Amaris knew he would be wiping the system of their recent searches in minutes. He wondered if they _had_ minutes. Alana had left the door, and he knew it was to get the master key for all the labs, and most likely a lot of backup.

Amaris wiped the analysis machines clear of data and Gina ran to the printers, adding the new piles of paper to Blake's stash. The youngest member of their group had finished gathering everything shockingly fast, as Amaris could hear Gav say, "Jason, have Kadabra take Blake and our things back to Edith's, and return here." They were a well-oiled machine, a flawless, illegal orchestra and everyone knew their harmonies and melodies.

Amaris ran into a snag in the analysis machine that was hooked up to the toxic blue stuff. Alana was apparently quick enough on her feet to punch in a freeze to the system. The screen was still now, a dialogue box staring him in the face that bore the very cliche text "access denied." His Dex buzzed in his pocket, and Amaris felt a nerve tick in his temple as he looked down and saw it was the center's phones calling him. He let it go to voicemail and grimaced. He didn't want to, but he had no choice; he tapped a few keys to call up a new code field and filled in his uncle's 25-character master override key. It was possible it had changed, but he doubted it. Sure enough, it went through, the freeze window vanished, and Amaris wasted no time cleaning out all the data they had accumulated. He had a feeling none of the other researchers had known that his uncle had entrusted him with that password. Well—they knew now.

Kadabra was back, and Jason was sent with the case of blue stuff over to Gina's place. Amaris was sure it would have been an extremely awkward scene had her mother not been working at Mulligan's that day. It would take him a while to pack their things and get back to Edith's, and that meant that one Kadabra was out of commission while they waited. His Dex was buzzing again and he rejected the incoming call early.

Gav cast Gina and Amaris an uncertain look. "I need to get our things from the inn," he said, glancing at the computers. "This is still going, though." Amaris looked past him at the last computer that remained on, and he could see countless files flying into the trash bin in an unnecessarily flamboyant animation. Though it was a common and childish graphic, Amaris knew Gav was actually sending the files to the darkest pits of cyber hell from which they would never return. "I'll send Kadabra right back to you guys, okay? And I'll call you when I'm packed and ready for him to get me at the inn."

"Sounds like a plan," Amaris said with a strained sigh, scrubbing his hand through his hair. "How many more minutes on that thing?" He motioned vaguely to the computers.

"Maybe two," Gav said, and Amaris motioned for Kadabra to go over to him. "Call me the second you two are out of here and safe," he added, and Gina nodded to him. A second later Gav was gone, and the sound of people running through the halls came to their ears almost immediately.

"Well crap, we don't get two minutes," Gina grumbled, removing a Pokeball from her belt and sending out Charmeleon. For a crazy second Amaris thought she was going to fight the unarmed researchers, but then she sent him over to push his hands against the door. He was her biggest Pokemon, and Amaris sent out Wartortle as well to help. None of their teams were particularly intimidating when it came to brute strength or bulk.

The traditional key rattled in the lock and the the green light near the door flashed to show that the card key had been accepted. The door handle jiggled, then jiggled harder. A different researcher's face appeared in the small window at the door—more shouts from outside. Even with what looked like the entire research staff outside the door to lab four, someone must have stayed behind—his Dex was ringing for a third time even though many people could plainly see him standing there, refusing to let them in. Amaris stared hard at the little files leaping into the trash bin, willing them to go faster. Kadabra returned and Amaris called him over, motioning for him to keep one hand on Gina's arm and one on his own. Someone shoved the door, and then more hands appeared on the glass windowpane. Charmeleon and Wartortle dug their claws against the treacherously slippery tiles, pushing back hard.

"Come on," Gina said to the machine. Apparently someone had decided to take a running charge at the door, because there was a crash, a harsh rattle of door against frame, and a sound of pain from outside. Abandoning that approach, the hands returned.

Amaris decided that the words "stand back!" from outside were definitely not a great sign. Gina and he exchanged a look, and in one motion recalled Charmeleon and Wartortle, not wanting their starters to be near whatever was about to happen. Sure enough, a second later a chair leg was thrust through the safety glass of the small window, cracks leaping to life in the surface and holding together as the entire square plate fell to the ground with a plastic crunch. Arms reached wildly inside before one of them realized the way was unobstructed now.

The computer gave a soft ding that Amaris almost missed completely, the door burst open, and he was witness to one brief flash of shocked, uncomprehending faces before Gina and he vanished.


	22. A Security Measure :Orion:

Pokemon Scarlet

Chapter 22: A Security Measure

(Orion Fremont)

Orion had found the Henderson report. Evidently they had grabbed it from Silph, or at least an outdated rough draft from three years ago. It wasn't called "the Henderson report", but Orion figured the fact that it detailed information about 12.3FA0742 and was spearheaded by Dr. T. Henderson was a good enough clue.

Around him were the sounds of breathing, typing, and paper shuffling. The tense figures to his right and left were like bookends. Zahlia's strain showed in the rigidity of her posture, while Kaylee's was a brooding stoop over the stack of print-outs, chin in hand. They each had huge paper stacks and folders piled on either end of the long computer desk. Beth was reading at the dining room table in a swivel chair. Victoria had gone into the kitchen for tea, and even though Orion knew no one was watching him, he felt dry-mouthed and conspicuous. He swallowed painfully and read the key parts of the report over again, slower.

_Short-term side-effects:_

_- Fevers  
- Nightmares/night terrors  
- Hallucinations  
- Erratic behavior; delusions  
- Increased competitiveness  
- Restlessness and agitation  
- Changes in sleeping and/or eating patterns_

Orion had to hand it to Zahlia. She had recited this list of side-effects to him almost verbatim after the fight with Zeke in Lavender. Whoever had given her the list apparently had lifted it almost entirely from this report. _Good memory, _he thought blandly, his mind on a strange, surreal tangent. _She managed to remember that for over a year. I can't remember if I charged my phone last night. _He almost wanted to congratulate her. She was sitting beside him, staring down at her stack of reports. Her black hair trailed down over the desk no matter how many times she tried to push it behind her ear.

Orion looked back at the screen and let his eyes drift down to the second part.

_Long-term effects:_

_Virtually all subjects have shown an increased dependence on 12.3FA0742 and a steadily climbing need for more and more frequent doses. In addition, subjects __have shown hyper-aggression [1] toward any people or Pokemon who are categorized as a threat [2]. Changes in demeanor and personality begin slowly, but behavioral patterns [3] and viewpoints [4] continue to shift over a period of 2 months to 3 years._

_Though success rates in training Pokemon vary greatly [5] results normalize in the first few months of the process._

_[Studies have shown thus far that the increased aggression patterns do not improve. Steps can be taken to slow the onset of both short-term and long-term physical symptoms, but all attempts to prevent long-term effects from emerging have been unsuccessful. More studies are underway (see proposal 17).]_

It really was remarkably easy to bookmark pages of this report for easy access. Orion had found and tagged the bracketed numbers in record time, little footnotes at the end of the surprisingly succinct write-up. The entire Henderson report was only about fifty pages long. Compared to Professor Drake's long-winded research about Factor A, this was a breeze. Orion supposed it had been streamlined for some higher-up who didn't have the time to pore over endless statistics.

_[1] Subjects have at times been unable to distinguish between threat situations and non-violent confrontations. In some cases subjects have treated family members or friends as threats and required restraint to prevent assault. After subjects have been removed from the situation and adrenal levels return to normal, they report feelings of confusion and the inability to recognize family or friends during the episode._

_[2] Factors that cause subjects to categorize a person or Pokemon as a threat: a) aggressive posture and stance b) raised voices c) prolonged eye contact d) sudden movements e) contrary viewpoints, invasive questions, etc—anything that causes the subject anger or distress and is not stopped immediately. In severe cases mere proximity can trigger the threat response._

_[3] Even when not in threat response, subjects have a tendency to change over time. Nervous ticks, paranoia, delusions of grandeur, outbursts and irrational mood swings are common, seemingly permanent side-effects._

_[4] Beyond emotional and behavioral changes, subjects responded to a series of personality tests and questions regarding their opinions on a number of topics. The first tests, taken one month before the first dose of 12.3FA0742_ _showed at times a 75% change from tests given again six months to a year later (see study 25)._

_[5] Improvement in training Pokemon increases drastically across the board for all subjects, though some have more success than others. Likewise, some subjects take longer to harness the full effects of 12.3FA0742. Until the chemical has normalized in the bloodstream, Pokemon response is sporadic and unpredictable._

There were some other interesting factoids here and there. The seemingly arbitrary name of the blue stuff, 12.3FA0742, was actually a rather simple chronological numbering system. 0742 meant it had last been chemically altered in July 2042. He supposed the first number referred to the "edition" of the drug, so to speak. His reeling mind weakly supplied a vague joke. _Blue stuff: version 12.3. Now with 50% more psychotic side-effects._

Little phrases kept playing on loop through his head. "Unable to distinguish between threat situations and non-violent confrontations"; "required restraint to prevent assault"; "inability to recognize family or friends." Things like "prolonged eye contact", "contrary viewpoints" or "mere proximity" were enough to trigger this rage. If Orion had been exposed to this stuff, he had everything from "nervous ticks" to changes in his very "opinions on a number of topics" to look forward to. He had tried unsuccessfully to locate study 25, burning with the need to know what these "topics" were, but had been unsuccessful. Maybe Gav had the files elsewhere, but they weren't on this computer. It was more likely that they hadn't grabbed them from Silph.

He could see his father's hands clenching and unclenching when he closed his eyes. He saw Jason's face, his accusatory glare, and heard him say _you sound like Dad. _Those four words had almost been enough to send Orion over the edge. Would he have really attacked Jason?

Contrary viewpoints.

Crazy theories chased each other around in his mind. Was it possible that his dad _did _inject him with this stuff? How the hell could he possibly miss that? If it was addictive, why had he gone over a year without it? Perhaps the Henderson report had left something out. Had they refined it so it could be slipped into food or water? But no, Orion frequently did the marketing and prepared virtually everything they ate. Cooking was for "women and cream puffs" after all.

Orion let his eyes slide out of focus, and he minimized the window. Edith's computer had no desktop image, so when Orion looked into the black screen he was rewarded with his own drawn, sick reflection. He tried to morph his face into something that looked a little less stricken and stunned, but was generally unsuccessful.

From next to him Kaylee sighed testily. "I mean, seriously." He saw Beth glance at her from the monitor's reflection. When it didn't look like Kaylee was going to continue, Beth nudged her.

"Elaborate?" she prompted, and Kaylee shook her head at the pages laid out in front of her.

"This is just so frustrating. I mean, why even _make_ something like the aggro device? What purpose could it possibly serve?"

Beth turned her swivel chair to face Kaylee, poking her pencil eraser against her cheek in an absent way while she thought. "Dunno," she said truthfully. "I guess I figured it was to rile up wilds for more experience, or something."

"Yeah, well, whoever's been working on this frickin' thing is incredibly vague about—"

Whatever Kaylee had been about to say got cut off by the very abrupt appearance of the youngest Nakawa about a foot behind her chair.

"Holy shit!" Kaylee shouted, leaping up and almost upturning the computer desk. A stack of papers slid to the ground and Orion's hands shot out to stabilize the monitor. "What the—"

Blake didn't mince words. "Shit went down in Pallet." Zahlia was at her brother's side in a flash, and Victoria had materialized among them, summoned from the kitchen. She relieved him of some of his burdens, managing to keep quiet though Orion knew she had to be writhing with the hard-edged need to know. "The others are coming. Jason's got the blue stuff. Gav backed up the files. Amaris and Gina are deleting the info from the computers."

"What happened?" Victoria prompted the second he was done speaking.

"Not sure yet. Amaris just said we had to go."

Orion's stomach twisted and he yanked out his phone, staring at the screen. He didn't want to interrupt Jason in the middle of their mad dash to evacuate Pallet, but cold chills and harsh prickles danced across his skin every second his brother was out of contact. He tried to will it to ring while Victoria and Kaylee continued to grill Blake behind him.

"Was there any sort of commotion you could see?"

"No. That researcher chick just asked to talk to Gina and Amaris outside for a bit, and then they came running back in, slammed the door and told us we had to book it."

Orion glanced at Blake, starting to put the clues together. His stomach twisted for a new reason; had Alana somehow figured out what the blue stuff was? Had she asked to speak to Gina and Amaris outside because she had some kind of information, or realized that it was a genetically-modified substance? A quick wave of heat and chills ran down his back and he took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Where did Gav go?" Kaylee asked.

"I don't know. I'm assuming he and Jason," he said, turning to Orion and preempting his question, "will have to pick up all your things, though. The Kadabras went back so-"

Before Blake could finish his sentence Gina and Amaris appeared.

"Jesus!" Kaylee exclaimed again, as she had once more managed to be the person closest to the landing zone.

"They aren't back yet, right?" Gina asked, her eyes scouring the dining room. Edith came dashing downstairs, no doubt alerted by Kaylee's exclamations. She looked stricken at seeing them all standing there, their numbers increasing and their eyes wide.

"Oh god," he said, putting her hands over her mouth. "You weren't attacked _again _were you?"

"No," Gina assured her at once, and started to fill Edith in on what was happening. Meanwhile Victoria and Kaylee rounded on Amaris, and Orion edged in closer as well, wanting an update about his brother.

"Gav is at the inn, getting your things," Amaris said, his posture still rigid and uncomfortable. "Jason is at the Ikeda's place getting ours. I expect the two Kadabras are with them now."

Orion sat heavily in a chair and heaved a slow, shaky sigh. Just then his phone buzzed and he almost dropped it in his haste to answer. It was a text from Jason: _just got all stuff anything else 2 do in pallet?_

Apparently Amaris and Gina had received the same message, because Amaris was leaning over his Dex, typing. Gina had finished informing Edith and sat down abruptly, cross-legged and ashen. She put her head in her hands. "Mom is going to freak out. She won't know if we're okay."

Amaris cast her the smallest of looks, some kind of regret crossing over his face for just an instant. "It's better that way," he continued brusquely. "The less any of them know, the better." Orion couldn't argue there, but he understood. Gina and he were in very similar predicaments now. Neither of them were allowed to speak to their mothers.

Jason appeared next, and about five minutes later, so did Gav. Their entire group assembled again, the team took one moment to branch off into small cliques and rotate through one another, giving hugs, pats on the shoulders and murmured questions. Then they headed straight for the meeting area in the living room. Edith paused for just a moment, apparently debating about joining the circle, but ultimately decided that cooking lunch for the haggard teens was priority one.

"I discovered something rather interesting about the blue stuff," Amaris began before they had even settled. His voice was icy and exhausted. "Unfortunately, the researchers did, too."

Orion settled down on the ground, back against the wall. His shirt was clinging to his back, not quite damp but not dry. He could feel one of the fever chills coming on and willed himself to stay focused for this briefing. He had a feeling it would be a long one.

* * *

It was sort of weird falling asleep next to Zahlia, particularly since she wasn't ever sleeping herself.

Orion shifted under the covers, uncomfortable as usual and battling against being too hot, too cold, randomly itchy or suddenly fidgety. The backs of his ears hurt, bizarrely. Zahlia waited patiently, perched on the edge of the bed. Meowth was crouched low at the foot of the bed, staring up at Haunter. Orion had taken to letting at least one of his Pokemon out at night. Sometimes when Zahlia and Haunter were not here, Rattata, Meowth, and once even the creepy Clefairy had woken him up during one of his bad spells. Now it was just habit to have one of them in the room with him.

In the aftermath of the arrival of the others, Orion hadn't had time to really internalize much of the news. They had traded information and brainstormed for much of the rest of the day. It was the main reason they had decided to have a Dream Eater session tonight. Orion tended to have agitated nightmares when he had too much on his mind and not enough time to think. It was the constant state of being for the entire house these days. Nevertheless, getting actual sleep had been doing more than anything else to improve his health. Zahlia's sleep patterns, on the other hand…

"Seriously, I don't know why you stay each time," Orion began, and just as quickly started to backpedal. "I mean, I don't want you to feel like I'm kicking you out. You can stay if you like—I enjoy your company, but—I trust Haunter now. Nothing bad's happened. I mean, when do you actually _sleep_?"

Talk about disjointed. Orion sighed and closed his eyes, cutting off the deluge of disclaimers. He managed half a smile when he heard Zahlia's soft laughter.

"I don't require sleep," Zahlia said, her very slight smile the only visible clue that she was teasing him. "I'm actually a robot."

Orion's half-hearted smile grew into a genuine one at that as a memory surfaced. "You know, back in Pewter, Jason cooked up that theory. He said you had to be one to put up with me."

Zahlia tilted her head and gave him a baffled look. "Why is 'putting up with you' so difficult?" she wondered.

Orion's response was quick but not well thought out. "Well, if you look past the whole foot-in-the-mouth thing, there's my recent propensity to get into smack-down brawls."

The lighthearted tone was punctured and the pleasant, warm exchange cooled at the chilly implications that settled in the room. After a second of avoiding eye contact, Orion coughed.

"Case in point," he said. "Foot in mouth." Zahlia managed a smile at that, but now it was tempered with the worry Orion so hated to see.

Orion could never really remember the details of his moments of violent loss of control. Blake had told him, haltingly and with no small measure of misgivings, that he'd "royally beaten the shit out of" Zeke in Lavender Town. Orion found that a little difficult to believe. Beyond being a very, very sub-par fighter, Orion had been thrashed when he came back to himself in the woods. Putting up the tough front during the walk home had been almost impossible. His busted lip split open again and again if he made any kind of expression.

The knuckles of his right hand had been numb from impact, though. Someone else's blood was under his fingernails.

Orion shivered. It was a good thing it was a Dream Eater night. He had a feeling he'd need Zahlia and Haunter to help ensure a quiet night after conjuring up that mental image.

"Thinking about Lavender?" Zahlia asked gently. Orion glanced at her.

"You were, too," he responded, not a question. She simply nodded.

The nature of the silence was the same, but the direction of the tense energy had shifted. Now it was Zahlia looking uncomfortable and Orion who was concerned.

"You and your brother," he said, not wanting to use Zeke's name. He knew she would understand which brother he meant. "What was it like when you and he were younger?"

He wasn't sure what had made him ask. Zahlia's list of hobbies tended to run with "blending in with the wallpaper" at the top, and "talking about family" dead last. For a long time she didn't say anything, and Orion was sure she wasn't going to. He'd already used the "case in point, foot in mouth" apology once tonight, and couldn't get away with it a second time. He was trying to think of a subject change when she responded, softly.

"It was very different. Zeke was much happier." Orion tried not to look too fascinated, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. He pulled at a loose thread in his sheets as she continued. "He liked to play pranks a lot. I always hated April Fool's Day."

"Sounds like a funny story or two," Orion ventured, smiling slightly at the bed.

"Or fifty," Zahlia affirmed, the fondness in her tone almost imperceptible. "He was the expressive Nakawa. Blake and I have always been pretty quiet. Not sure why. Zeke would try to get a rise out of me just to see if he could." She made a soft sound somewhere between a sigh and a snicker. "Of course, no one else could do that, though. He was always really over-protective. Were you that kind of big brother?"

Orion was not surprised that she'd shifted the focus to him. He wondered if it was because she was inherently uncomfortable talking about herself, or if it was leftover training from her years of gathering information from others.

"I… yeah, okay, I was," Orion allowed, changing his answer after a moment of thought. "Though I didn't really have to be. Mom was a bulldog as it was."

"Because of the Gym connection?" Zahlia ventured, and Orion nodded. A second later another memory came to him and he snorted.

"Don't tell Jason I told you this," he said, and Zahlia actually glanced at him instead of the wall, her small smile growing at what promised to be an embarrassing story. "But he once got in a fight with this snotty kid in his grade at Marsh Elementary. Jason came out on top and all, pretty proud of all his bruises and scrapes. Unfortunately for him—and me—that kid's older sister was… kind of unreasonably huge."

"Wait," Zahlia said, biting her lip slightly against laughter. "Unfortunately for both of you?"

Orion rubbed his forehead and grinned, shrugging. "Yeah, both of us. We got our asses handed to us by one girl. Who, I might add, was a year younger than me at the time." At Zahlia's blended look of sympathy and disbelief, he laughed. "Hey, I never claimed to be particularly manly or fearsome. Also, hindered by the whole not-hitting-girls thing. I mostly tried to hold her back and she got a few good hits to vital areas."

"Your childhood makes me sad," Zahlia said, utterly abandoning her attempts at stifling the silent laughter.

They sat there like that for a while, gazes relaxed and held loosely on uninteresting aspects of his room. When the humor died down it was replaced by a soft-edged contemplation, and Orion didn't feel strange at all asking his next question. "You still hope Zeke will come around?"

Her response was surprisingly candid and unashamed. "Yeah."

Orion nodded once, slowly. "I can understand that."

* * *

_Orion had never been particularly athletic. Jason had started to outperform him at four years old, and Orion had been notorious in school for only being able to catch a baseball with his face. At fourteen years old it was no different, but his father still could not wrap his mind around this simple concept._

"_You're not even trying," Nathan Fremont noted, starting off with mild irritation. "Come on, where the hell is your upper body strength? What, are you a chick?"_

_Orion ignored him and "rested" in the middle of the chin-up reps, holding on to the bar and pausing with his head poised above it. He'd learned that sweaty palms (from stress as much as exertion) often resulted in painful slips during this particular exercise. His father had procured open-fingered gloves for him not long after. The little creaks of strained leather taught against metal grated on his ears._

"_Are you seriously stopping?" his father asked, apparently unable to believe this._

"_Resting for a sec," Orion answered through gritted teeth. The sound of his father's voice grated on his nerves far more than any squeaky leather or trembles of muscle tension._

"_This is pathetic. Why do I bother?" Fremont had entered the philosophical, rhetorical stage of his disapproval. Orion let out a slow breath and tried to work himself back into the reps to avoid the next phase, but it was too late. Like a mousetrap snapping, the next harsh reprimands erupted unprovoked. "__**What do you expect to get out of life, huh?**__ You think you can be a passive, pushover, doormat chicken-shit and coast by? __**Huh?**__ Newsflash, buddy—you __**can't!**__** What the hell are you going to do when you're on your own?"**_

His dreamscape shifted. The top half of the world slid left and the bottom went right, the colors bursting out and leaking together like paint. His father was still yelling, his face contorted, but the sound was muffled and far away. His voice got deeper and deeper until it was a baritone hum, and the tie-dye image faded slowly to the colorless nothing of deep sleep.

Orion stirred an unknown amount of time later, his chest heavy and his eyes blurry. The first breath he took upon waking was like resurfacing from deep water. He never felt like he'd been asleep during Dream Eater. He felt like he had momentarily ceased to exist.

Orion expected Zahlia to ask him the usual things from her usual station, but there was silence. He blinked blearily around in the pre-dawn dark. When he located her he froze.

Zahlia was curled toward him on the other side of the bed, utterly silent and still. He hadn't seen her until he almost rolled over on top of her. Orion blinked a few times, heat rising in his ears momentarily until his bashfulness was replaced by a stab of sympathy. In helping him with his insomnia she was developing some of her own.

Orion hesitated. He considered trying to go back to sleep and pretend nothing was out of the ordinary, but as usual he felt utterly rested already. He always did after Dream Eater. Trying not to move the bed, he pulled the covers over her as well as he could without waking her.

Orion's sketches had been getting steadily messier. He didn't like to look back at the first pages of the ratty, deteriorating book anymore. It looked like someone else had drawn them. His hands shook sometimes, and as a result he had adapted his drawing style into something harsher and sketchier, imprecise lines and dark smudges.

Zahlia slept through the night, and when she woke quietly the next morning (shocked and apologetic) Orion had four different drawings of Meowth and Haunter. They couldn't touch each another, but they tried to play together anyway.

* * *

Orion had been looking forward to a day of recuperation and reflection. Perhaps he'd go back to the Henderson report with new eyes, and analyze if he was paranoid or was in denial. Unfortunately that was not to be the case.

Edith did own a television set, but it was so seldom used that it was locked away in an entertainment unit behind one of the armchairs. If the group wanted to watch the news, which they rarely did, they rearranged the furniture, plugged all the RCA cables and power chords in, and waited an infuriatingly long time for the signal to clear. This was particularly frustrating when they were missing something relevant, which they were now.

Ten minutes ago Gav's PDA had dinged with a breaking story. He had key words cataloged to notify him when tags like "Silph" or "aggravated assault" popped up in any form of accessible media.

Another one of their flag words was "Fremont."

"Come on come on come on come on," Gav muttered in a quiet undertone to the TV, drumming his fingers on his thighs and staring hard at the snowy, gray-and-white screen. Kaylee fidgeted behind him.

"Smack it!" Jason directed.

"Doesn't really help technology as much as people think," Gav said in a monotone, barely paying attention. Part of an image started from the top of the screen and slowly shifted down in a jagged bar. Then it did it again. Bit by bit, the picture flickered and cleared, and soon the group was groping blindly behind them for things to sit on, sometimes missing and landing on one another for a moment. They were too busy staring unblinkingly at the now-clean picture.

Nathan Fremont was on TV. From beside him Jason gave a cut-off sound. Even though they had been expecting this, it was still a surprise to see him there, broad-shouldered and crew cut, broadcast right into their living room. The sound was off. A second later he, Kaylee and Victoria had all lunged forward for the remote, and when Kaylee succeeded in procuring it she cranked up the volume.

"Nothing else taken, no," Fremont was saying, lifting his eyebrows once in a quick, annoyed way. "Who knows why someone would want it?"

Orion's lungs didn't seem to work. He cast a glance to Jason. His brother's head turned toward him, but his eyes took a little longer to meet Orion's. Why the hell would their dad openly admit something like the blue stuff had been stolen?

They were going on, and the gang leaned forward as one unit. The reporter was a woman in her early twenties and for some reason was wearing pink eye shadow. It was a little distracting. "Do you have any theories as to who may have taken it?"

"Oh, I figure it was probably a pair of uppity brats who think they're being clever," Fremont said, and as he fixed his piercing gaze on the camera Orion knew he was being addressed directly. His father had called him precisely that—an uppity brat—on multiple occasions. It was one of his go-to nicknames.

"But no one specific who would have a reason to do this?"

There was a pause laced with meaning. Orion knew what his father was trying to do now, and it seemed the others did as well. To anyone not looking for it, his silence would seem like a pause for thought. To them, it was an unspoken _yes—I know exactly who._

Fremont's mouth quirked in the slightest smile. "Nope."

Orion scrubbed his hands across his face, not wanting to miss part of the broadcast but unable to watch more without resting his dry eyes. He heard the reporter ask for the statement he said he'd give, and Orion managed to look up again, eyes bleary.

"I'd like to warn whoever it is—the trophy is rigged."

"Rigged?" the reporter prompted, but Kaylee asked the TV, "trophy?" Orion frowned, the whirlwind of fatalistic dread in him pausing.

"Yup, rigged. So, whoever you are-you'd do good not to touch the third one. It's a bad idea to mess with any of my things... never know what might happen... but in particular, if you're smart, stay away from that third one."

"What?" Jason muttered quietly, shifting to sit on the ground and giving a frustrated sigh. "Damn it, they'd better repeat this segment at eight."

"Did you rig it to administer an electric shock?" the reporter asked, a little flirtatious now in spite of the fact that his father had to be fifteen years older than her. Fremont gave her a vaguely skeptical smile with a raised eyebrow.

"... Something like that. Can't give away all my secrets."

Fremont and the reporter vanished—evidently it was a wrap, and agitated sound coursed through the group.

"What was—" Jason began, but a second later they chorused "_shhh_!" at him. The screen had just filled with a new image. A solid wood platform served as the base for a large metal slab about a foot tall. "The Thunder Bowl" was engraved at the top, and running down the left side were years. Four lightning bolt markers were set into the slots for the first four years. The next four, which were for dates in the future, remained empty. It was the evidently missing trophy, and Orion frowned at once. Yeah, he remembered it.

"The Thunder Bowl takes place every two years in Vermillion and, as you can see, Mr. Fremont has won the prestigious title of champion four consecutive times." It seemed this part was an informational segment for parties unfamiliar with the trophy and tournament in question. The rather amused voice-over narrator continued: "Vincent Warren hasn't entered in over a decade."

They cut back to the studio and one of the anchors seemed to be trying to stifle a chuckle. "That's somehow not very surprising."

The story switched to something about a Cubone mask-painting contest that had the Pokemon Liberation Front up in arms, and Kaylee muted the set. Many people tried to speak at once, but Orion got unsteadily to his feet to take the floor.

"He's lying. That picture up there wasn't of his actual trophy." At the nods from the others he went on. "He—was really confident about his wins. He'd tell me there was no way anyone else could possibly beat him, so—the trophy he had already had five of those markers on it. He managed to get his hands on one for his, uh, 'upcoming win.'"

A few people spoke over one another again, and Orion sat back down, trying to sort it. Kaylee said, "Wow, cocky much?" while Victoria theorized, "He might have lied about the number of markers so he wouldn't—" but he missed the rest of it when Blake asked, "and this is relevant because...?"

Orion tried to answer that one. "I don't know. But I figured it might be worth mentioning."

Gina spoke up after a pause. "Did anyone else get chills when he—"

"_Yes_," Jason cut in. "He—seriously, he _can't_ be talking about a frickin' trophy. Which is being represented incorrectly anyway."

"No," Gav agreed, finally speaking up. He had been leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, deep in thought. "It's... almost certainly code for the blue stuff. The questions now are, what did he mean and why did he give this interview?"

"Well, he wants the blue stuff back," Beth suggested, but looked like a student answering a trick question. "But he can't exactly come out and say that some glowing syringes full of mysterious fluid were stolen from a secret compartment under his bed."

"There's more to it than that," Victoria said. "He could have just said that the perp ought to bring it back. He went out of his way to warn them that it was—what did he say—"

"Rigged," Amaris cut in. Without another work he got up and vanished into the hall.

The others stared after him for a second before the room broke out into babble again. "Why would he want to warn us?" Kaylee asked, right when Gina said, "ah—the poison—maybe that's what he—?" Gav had just tried to ask Orion something when Amaris returned with the case of blue stuff.

"What?" he asked Gav, but Amaris and Gina were both speaking now, saying variations of the same thing.

"He was warning the robbers about the—"

"That some of the syringes had poison, yeah," Gina finished. Orion could barely hear them—Kaylee and Beth had started a separate huddled conversation.

"Okay, seriously," Gav said loudly, and Victoria stooped to mutter something to Kaylee and Beth, who paused their discussion. "Amaris, Gina. Yes, that makes sense. Orion, I was going to ask you, can you determine anything else from that interview? Knowing your dad?"

Orion shook his head after a moment. "Just—what he said, the... uppity brat thing. He used to—that was something he used to say a lot. To me. So, uh, there's that."

"Might have been a sign to you and Jason then," Victoria said, sounding disgruntled. Kaylee let out a slow, low sigh. Orion could relate to the sentiment—this was bad.

Zahlia spoke up while Amaris was crouched over the case, removing syringes. "What this ultimately means is that Fremont went on public record, risking unwanted media attention, to warn some robbers not to poison themselves." The others glanced at her. "I doubt he would do that for just anyone. He has to know it was his sons."

A strange, niggling silence settled on the group. Orion could not weed his true feelings about this from the tangled thicket of other concerns and questions. Jason glanced at him—he could see it from the corner of his eye, but didn't look up.

_What the hell are you going to do when you're on your own?_

"Ah, here," Amaris said, pointing at the case. "The third slot. It's a snugger fit than the first, second, and fourth." Gav got up and crossed to where Amaris was sitting on the floor, bending down to see. "Stands to reason the third one—the poisoned one—was never, or very seldom removed."

"Whereas one, two, and four were taken out a lot and probably replaced over time..." Gina said, blowing her bangs out of her face. "So, what, the poisoned one just sits in there all the time? _Why_?"

"So if anyone else starts to use this stuff, they will eventually die." Amaris supplied the theory with utter bluntness, not appearing proud at all about this epiphany. Orion's spine tightened around an involuntarily, stifled chill. "It's why they're all blue, and utterly indistinguishable from one another. Eventually the new user—any potential thieves—would unwittingly poison themselves. It's a security measure. A... very effective one."

"Jeez, Amaris," Jason said in a deadpan approximation of humor. "Powers of deduction, much."

The uncomfortable silence was back in spades. The muted TV had switched to a commercial about a new sports drink. A lazy office worker silently got zapped by a Pikachu, comical amounts of smoke rising from his now-manic grin.

"Well," Blake said dryly. "Your dad doesn't want you dead. That's... kind of sweet, I guess."


	23. Face the Music :Gav:

Pokemon Scarlet

Chapter 23: Face the Music

(Gav Harrison)

"Beth, you realize that clicking the button over and over is not going to make the screen magically change."

It sounded like something Gav would say. It amused him to no end that Victoria had been the one to make the remark.

"Shhh. In Beth-land it helps."

"In reality you're just confusing the machine even more. Seriously, wait thirty seconds."

"Who died and made you supreme computer expert of the world?" Beth asked, sticking her tongue out at her sister and clicking the mouse button ten more times in rapid succession just to be contrary. Victoria bumped her chair with her foot.

"Seriously, you're hopeless."

He had to interject at this. "Look who's talking," Gav said with a smirk, not looking up from his PDA. Victoria gave him a noogie and he ducked away from her hands, laughing. "What?"

"You're so smug," she accused, and Gav looked at her innocently.

When the initial four of them had been in the "growing pains" phase of their new group, Gav had made ita point to teach Beth and Victoria to be at least tech savvy enough to dodge most malignant had put Victoria through "training," asking her to surf the web as safely as she could, taking as many precautions as possible and tracking her steps with care. The end result had been a little comical, but exactly what he had expected. She'd improved drastically over time, but it was still one of the only things he could tease her about, and he never hesitated to do so. It was definitely a story she took to better than the "Eternal Metapod" one.

"If I recall, you had 22 different kinds of spyware tailing you after what… ten minutes of browsing?" Gav asked, pretending to think about it.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," Victoria said, narrowing her eyes at him playfully. "But I'm a good student."

"Can't argue there," he said, giving her a sly grin and getting himself a very light punch on the shoulder. He pretended that it hurt and Victoria scoffed at him.

Things had been chaotic ever since the group had returned from Pallet, to say the discovery of Fremont's broadcast had tailed them right after the excitement in the labs, and it was only the next day that they had finally been able to get themselves back on track. They split off into their areas of interest: Gav and Amaris continued to read through Drake's findings, Victoria and Beth hunted for more information about the aggro devices, Gina and Jason returned to the Masterball research, Orion and Kaylee scoured Silph's files for more clues about the blue stuff, and that left the Nakawas with looking up anything new about the returner. These days it was a case of too many fingers in too many pies, but it couldn't be helped. Gav hoped the ten sets of eyes would make them more efficient instead of more disorganized.

Gav moved into the kitchen for better light and groped out for a chair. He had become a master of navigating while his eyes were occupied elsewhere. He frowned at his PDA as he sat down, eyes flickering back and forth across lines of black against the off-green screen. It was cracked and worn from many years of use and he regretted not getting a screen protector when it was still in decent shape. The power button stuck sometimes too, causing it to occasionally turn back on after he'd shut it down for the night. It seemed like a contrary little refusal to let him stray too far from his project.

There wasn't anything particularly interesting. "Fremont" had been flagged once more, but it was only a blog post from one of Vermillion's major newspapers. It was a rather unremarkable response to his broadcast message about the alleged trophy theft. Evidently the editorial board at the _Vermillion Times_ found the elusive Fremont's appearance on TV odd.

Gav was about to put it into sleep mode and get up for the now mandatory stretches (a verdict Edith had passed) when the quiet _ding _snagged his attention. It was followed by another, and then a third, and Gav was back in his seat and hunched over it in record time.

A fourth and fifth notification sound rang out in the time it took him to read the first headline:

_Franklin Whittaker-Cheng makes a stand against missing Vermillion Gym Leader_

There were at least three things immediately fascinating about this story, and Gav started to read to the backdrop of more soft _dings_. He barely noticed Kaylee and Victoria moving in on either side to peer over his shoulder.

_Franklin Whittaker-Cheng, Saffron Gym Leader and Chairman of the Abra Protection Committee, went on record yesterday with criticism for Vincent Warren's apparent negligence in Vermillion City. Warren, Vermillion's Gym Leader for the past thirteen years, has been allegedly disregarding his obligations and frequently leaving his Gym duties in the hands of his Vice Leader, Nathan Fremont._

"_For the most part the other Leaders and I understand," Whittaker-Cheng said in an exclusive interview with the Saffron Chronicle. "It's a hectic existence, and occasionally business will call us away. This is honestly getting ridiculous, though. When your second-in-command conducts virtually half of all your work, even executing battles and distributing badges to challengers—well, something is seriously wrong there."_

_Whittaker-Cheng's statement was prompted by the Vermillion City Council's many recent failed attempts to reach Warren with time-sensitive Gym legislation. "Normally even when Warren is away, we can reach him by phone," says Meredith Fairley, under-secretary to the council. "It was highly unusual for him to go this long without responding to messages, which is what prompted the police report."_

"_Concern," however, appears to be far from many Vermillion citizens' minds. Martin Sinclair, who owns a small business in the Gym district, believes that Warren is "on vacation somewhere, or lost his phone at a rave. It's no secret he's a flake and I don't see why people are getting worried. He'll turn up in a month or so."_

_Nevertheless, Vermillion officials are now involved in a city-wide search for the missing Warren, and will expand the party to Saffron if no headway is made within a week._

"_If Warren is perfectly fine, and I sincerely hope he is, he's going to have to face the music," Whittaker-Cheng assures. "This bizarre and unprofessional behavior has gone on long enough, and I will not hesitate to call a Gym Leader roundtable to address this situation."_

_The last Gym Leader roundtable was held in 2040 to resolve the Leadership issues of Pewter Gym._

Gav's face had settled into a stern, stiff cast sometime during his scan of the article, and he only noticed the strain in his forehead muscles when Kaylee let out a soft sigh beside him. He glanced up at his sister and they exchanged a look weighted down in memories. It wasn't often that Pewter Gym's previous "Leadership issues" were mentioned openly.

Victoria brought up the most pressing matter, however, a moment later. "So. Vincent Warren appears to be genuinely missing."

"So it would seem," Gav agreed, clicking the "back" button so he could glance over the long list of other flagged stories. "Surprise, surprise. All of these are either about Warren's absence or Whittaker-Cheng's evaluation of Vermillion Gym politics." He sped through a few of the articles to extract any new content, and Kaylee cracked her knuckles beside his head.

"If the council can normally at least get a hold of Warren on his phone, and can't, now… that doesn't bode well," she said. "Do you think he… I mean, I dunno, we know he was dealing with Silph a while ago." Gav, distracted, didn't remember for a while what Kaylee meant, and at his silence she expounded. "Y'know, the 'Pokemon performance enhancers.' He was endorsing them earlier this year."

"Ah," Gav said, the light going on. He called up a search field on his device and tapped in some key words while Victoria addressed Kaylee behind him.

"You're right. It doesn't look good." Her voice was grim, but still her patented matter-of-fact. "And what's more, it's definitely not good that Whittaker-Cheng's gone on record with this. He's not only drawn attention to Warren's disappearance, but to himself, as well."

"Honestly I'm just surprised they were even able to run this story in the first place," Kaylee said. "Gav and I have always noticed censorship and under-the-rug sweeps when it comes to fishy things like this."

"Perhaps Whittaker-Cheng's sway was too great," Victoria theorized. "If a Gym Leader wants an article to run, it sort of has to be."

Their discussion had attracted Beth from a nearby armchair, and she sat down at the kitchen table across from Gav. "Who wrote the first article? From the _Chronicle_?"

Gav's eyes flicked back up to the top entry and his vision swam a little. Worrisome. "Uhh… Carole Gallegos?"

"Spikey!" Beth exclaimed, and Gav looked up and frowned at her, bewildered by her evidently random outburst of stray adjectives. "Oh, I'm not surprised. She's great."

"Spikey?" Kaylee asked, but Victoria was saying, "oh god, _her._"

"You shush," Beth said, pointing a warning finger at Victoria. To Gav and Kaylee she said, "Spikey is Carole Gallegos' pseudonym whenever she airs her radio talk show, EUTS."

"Yoots?" Gav asked, and Beth clarified.

"E-U-T-S. Everything Under the Sun. She does a little trivia challenge on Sundays, a bunch of book and movie reviews on Mondays, Pokemon-related segments on Tues—"

"Yes, yes," Victoria cut in, pulling a chair out beside Gav and plopping down in it. "Beth used to play that thrice-damned show every night in our room. What I found relevant was her open-door policy on interviews."

"I was getting to that," Beth said thornily, fixing her hair. "So, yes, Spikey will air any story from anyone, so long as she thinks it's of interest. That's on Fridays. She's a pretty big deal in the media circuit, though I hear the _Chronicle _is always nervous about her radio show… don't want to appear affiliated with her if she airs something controversial. They'd never get rid of her, though. She's way too popular."

"… Cool as that is…" Kaylee began hesitantly.

"Ah, yeah. My point is that it's not surprising that Spikey was the one to get this statement from Whittaker-Cheng. My guess is that they _did _try to stop this from leaking, and that's why Spikey picked it up—I'm betting no one else wanted to. I'm still totally behind your media censorship theory."

"You know," Gav said, opening a new browser window, "Spikey sounds like a pretty good potential contact. I'll try to find her info in case we need someone from the media in the future. Thanks, Beth."

"So, to recap," Victoria said, holding up her hand to tick off items on her fingers, "Warren goes on record to endorse something by Silph. Fremont broadcasts his warning about the blue stuff. The Vermillion Council can't get a hold of Warren. WC publicly denounces Warren. Yes?"

"Yeah," Kaylee said, biting her lip now. "Well… well, shit, WC might have just made a huge mistake."

"Precisely what I was thinking," Victoria agreed, leaning forward so she could look at Kaylee from around Gav. Gav, who had just bookmarked Spikey's EUTS homepage, put his PDA down and leaned back in his chair so the two girls could see one another better. "There's no direct correlation between Silph and Warren's vanishing act, but it still doesn't look good."

Gav noticed that Kaylee looked more engaged in their discussion than she had in weeks, and a surge of warmth for her and Victoria stole over him. Victoria and Kaylee butted heads sometimes, when Kaylee was feeling a little put out by Victoria's assertive propensity to take control. Gav always felt rather caught in the middle when they went at it, though thankfully neither girl ever made him pick sides in their fights. Admittedly, a lot of Kaylee's scorn had been occupied with Zahlia as of late, and perhaps as a result she was getting along with Victoria again. Beth, as always, acted as mediator between her sister and her best friend, a position Gav would never want to be in himself, let alone willingly.

"Do you think WC's in danger?" Beth was asking now, biting her lip. That possibility hung in the air for a while, and the four teens stared off at nothing in particular while they thought. Finally Victoria said, "I think so, honestly."

"We need to warn him then," Kaylee said with absolute finality, and Gav and Beth exchanged a wary look almost without realizing it.

Sure enough, Victoria slid seamlessly into her role as devil's advocate, a habit Kaylee absolutely hated. "Simply strolling up to him and explaining that corrupt Silph workers may be plotting against him won't work."

"Well, no, not like _that,_" Kaylee said, rolling her eyes. "But we need to warn him that _someone_ might be out to get him. Just so he knows to watch his back."

"How do you propose we do this? Are you thinking of an anonymous tip-off?"

"Could work," Kaylee said, but she sounded suspicious.

Rightfully so, as it turned out. "Gym Leaders get roughly fifty threats, warnings, or otherwise unpleasant messages per week," Victoria stated calmly, and Kaylee's expression hardened.

"Why do you always do that? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't bother asking all these stupid leading questions first."

"Leading questions?" Victoria asked, eyebrows lifting. "I beg to differ. I'm not 'leading' you anywhere. I'm trying to figure out what, exactly, your plan is."

"Yeah, so you can shut it down in the most annoying way possible."

"Would you _rather _I say nothing and have us all get caught?"

Their tones were getting edgier, and Gav felt like he'd jinxed their former good rapport just by thinking about it. Beth stepped in, trying to get them back on track.

"If WC might be in jeopardy we need to think about how much time we have to act," she ventured. "That seems like a good place to start."

"Room for one more?" Jason's voice asked from the doorway, and Gav realized with surprise that he hadn't thought of calling a full-group meeting at all. Feeling scatter-brained and embarrassed, he offered Jason a smile and motioned him over.

"Always," he said, pulling out his phone and starting to compose a mass-text to the others.

"We were just trying to figure out if Franklin Whittaker-Cheng might be Silph's next target," Beth began, and started to fill him in on the goings-on. Gav finished his message, hit send, and absently watched the little envelopes fly off across his screen.

"No, totally," Jason said, pulling up another chair to sit in backwards. "WC needs to know about this."

Victoria sighed, a sigh Gav recognized as her "I'm counting backwards from ten," signal. "Okay. We've established that. We really need to work on the 'how,' though." The others were starting to arrive and Gav got up, leading the hovering group out of the kitchen and into the living room. Some of their Pokemon were there, and Gav spotted Orion's Clefairy. It glanced at the oncoming teens and quietly exited the room. The Meowth came straight to him, though, rubbing against his leg. Gav smiled uncomfortably—true to form, cats always made a beeline to those who were mildly allergic to them. Beth swooped to scoop Meowth up as Orion and Gina appeared from the hallway.

The group was soon assembled, gravitating automatically toward their preferred seats. Some sat cross-legged on the floor, and every single other place on the couch, chairs and ottomans was occupied. Edith's house had been a little full before Amaris' arrival, and now it was at maximum capacity. Though it had once served as a little bed and breakfast over fifty years ago, it had never been made to accommodate more than ten. Even that was pushing it.

Kaylee recapped the main points to the gang, and Gav could practically feel Victoria's mounting frustration as Gina, Jason, Kaylee and Orion all agreed that Whittaker-Cheng needed to be contacted and cautioned. He felt a little crest of relief when Zahlia said, "how do we go about doing this safely?" It seemed to placate Victoria a great deal, though now Kaylee looked a little surly again. Gav would name his future ulcers after members of this group.

There was stumped silence for a while, and while they brainstormed Gav's Cubone wandered up to him, leaning heavily against his leg. Gav reached down and pulled it up, setting it down in his lap. he often wondered if all Cubones were a little needy and starved for contact, as their species was frequently called the "lonely" Pokemon. Many Cubone had indeed wound up orphaned years ago when Marowak had been extensively hunted for the tough, bone-like covering over their faces. Gav's particular Cubone hadn't been with any other of its kind when he'd caught it, and he wondered if it had been wandering alone for most of its life.

Gav had always hated the word "orphan." He never referred to himself or Kaylee with that term, either out loud or in his head. They had extended family throughout Kanto who were not always in touch, but would emerge from the woodwork if they ever needed anything. They had Armstrong, so much like a dad now that both of their father-figures were gone. They had one another, and "orphan" had always sounded so melodramatic, so over-the-top pity party when Gav reflected on the people he still had in his life.

Still. By the textbook definition, that was precisely what Kaylee and he were. It was what Amaris was, now that his guardian was gone, too. Though the Fremont brothers still had two living parents, circumstances being what they were, they might as well have none at all. It was things like this that had propelled Gav forward into this project, that kept him up all night and earned him countless numbers of Blake's "go to sleep, whack-job." It was the whole point of getting ten teens together, dress like low-budget ninjas and steal files, or play at knowing what they were doing in a chem lab in Pallet. All the breaking and entering, the running for their lives, the neck cricks and stiff joints had to lead to something huge—something world-changing. There was absolutely no point if they did not. This was the reason the sticky power button on Gav's PDA filled him with irrational guilt every day.

He started speaking slowly, his hand resting on Cubone's back. "… This is way over our heads," he began, fishing for even the simplest of words as he tried to both internalize and express the conclusion he was reaching. "And we all know, it's _been _over our heads for a long while."

Amaris muttered, "what was your first clue?" but no one else interjected.

"We can't keep… going on exactly the way we are. And, yes, I'm getting to WC." He closed his eyes, pressed his palms against the sockets, and rubbed. It drove Edith crazy when he did this, but it felt good and he had long ago accepted that he would need glasses soon. "We need help. Adult help, authority figure help."

Kaylee made half a sound, like the beginning of the word "what," but stopped. Gav let out a slow breath. He thought he would feel fear, but maybe that would come later. For now all he felt was old and tired.

"I think it's time to consolidate and organize our findings for the last time. Make it all easily searchable, separate the most incriminating and vital pieces and move them to the forefront. Then, I think it'll be time to pack it all up, get back into disguise, and take a trip to Saffron Gym."

"Gav," Kaylee said, and Gav finally opened his eyes and looked up at her. Her outline was indistinct, but he could still see her disbelief. "Are you serious? Are you _sure_?" Kaylee had been pushing him to take solid, definitive action for years. Now that it appeared he was finally ready to, all she looked was stunned and a little frightened. he could utterly relate.

"Yeah, I'm sure. WC is our best bet, at this point. He's strategically located near Silph, has shown he's interested in taking initiative and solving problems, and hopefully, if he's on good terms with a contact like Spikey, he's willing to be… a little unorthodox. There's…" and there it was, the first lemon-peel twist of anxiety in his core. "There's really no way we can let this chance go. We may not ever get another one like it."

Gav let the weight of his suggestion settle in on the group, then turned to Victoria. He could definitely handle her tendency to poke a plan full of holes, and a part of him honestly hoped she would. How much easier it would be to just chalk his idea up as too risky and return to familiarizing themselves with science jargon and police beats.

He knew what she was going to say before she said it, and his heart both sank and soared in a deeply uncomfortable juxtaposition.

"I agree with Gav, but… let's put it to a vote."

When every single hand rose in the air, Cubone looked around with interest and mimicked them, raising its bone club too. A few of them chuckled, but all Gav could think as excited talk broke out around him was, _please, please, don't let me be wrong about this._

* * *

_Author's Note: I wrote this two nights ago when I couldn't sleep. Early Thursday morning, my step-father, who has been ill for a long time, passed away quietly in his sleep. He was very much a father figure to me and such an amazing, loving, vital person. I'm so happy I got to have him in my life, but it's a very hard time for my family. I'm still gravitating towards my writing projects. In addition to a hobby and hopeful-career, writing is a coping mechanism and a comfort for me. Nevertheless, things might be chaotic for a while. If I expect I'll be taking a break to get things settled in my life, I'll leave a note and updates in my profile for the few readers who check and review regularly. Thank you._


	24. A Long Ways to Go :Victoria:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 24: A Long Ways to Go

(Victoria Larson)

"Oh, I never did figure out what that means," Jason noted, and Victoria glanced up at him briefly from her print-outs. "Gina, you remember?"

Gina didn't look up from her Dex. "Can't read your mind, Jason. What do I remember?"

"In Cerulean," he clarified, and Victoria gave up on finishing the dense paragraph of techno-jargon she'd been stuck on for the past minute. "Remember that sign, 'register your Abra'?"

Gina finally looked up at him, a slight frown on her face. Then she clued in and nodded. "Ah. Yeah? What, did you find something about Abra registration just now?"

"You both really don't know about the TRA?" Amaris was the one who had just spoken up, and Gina glanced over at him, the familiar challenging expression coming to her face. "Can't say I'm surprised."

"Well, are you going to enlighten us?" Gina asked in a deadpan voice, and Jason huffed out a quiet scoff.

"Teleportation Registration Act," Amaris said. "Implemented roughly eight years ago. When you catch an Abra you're supposed to take it to a Pokémon Center right away and let them know it's a new catch. They put a sticker with a small chip on it, usually around the back of the head. If your sticker gets damaged you're supposed to visit a Center again and get it replaced."

"What does the sticker do?" Jason asked, and Amaris leveled a poisonous glare at him.

"If you'd let me finish, I was getting to that part."

"Pot calling the kettle black," Gina observed, but crossed her legs and put her Dex aside to listen fully. Victoria tried to go back to her work, wondering if leaving the room would be necessary soon.

"The sticker," Amaris said pointedly, like a teacher asserting control over a class, "is essentially a homing device. This is supposedly so the authorities have an easy way to track the movements of each Abra and its trainer, in case there are crimes committed by someone using Teleport."

Victoria looked up again, frowning. She'd been vaguely aware of the TRA, but this elaboration was news to her. "So what you mean to say," she began, drawing all three Initiates' attentions, "is that in addition to keeping a record of all caught Abras and their trainers, the TRA actually tracks every movement an Abra makes?"

"Essentially," Amaris said. "Though I'm guessing that since these two have never heard of it before, Jason's Kadabra never got registered."

"Yeah, that would be a no," Jason agreed, crossing his arms and looking genuinely troubled. "Freakin' glad I didn't, now." Something seemed to occur to him, and he snapped his head back up to look at Amaris. "_Yours_ isn't still—"

Amaris gave him a disbelieving, deeply skeptical look. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" he asked, and Jason, incensed anew, made an expression that clearly said _do you really want me to answer that?_ Amaris rolled his eyes. "Uncle was always... a little anti-establishment," he continued, sounding like he was editing that statement a bit. "He helped me deactivate and ditch my tracking sticker pretty much the moment I registered."

"Well, good to know our society is trucking along the path to complete lack of privacy," Victoria said, the end of her sentence coming out as a strained sigh. Her neck cracked so loud that Gina visibly winced.

They had been packing on and off for their trip to Saffron over the past week, but Victoria had noted with little surprise that it was taking much longer this time. In addition to taking along their usual compact camping supplies, changes of clothing, disguise gear and Pokémon supplies, the group was also bringing along roughly all of their work. Hefting thousands of printed sheets across Kanto would be backwards and ungainly, and in the end she and the others had taken it in shifts to consolidate and organize the files electronically. The ultimate plan was to burn discs to take along and leave all paper behind.

The process was naturally slow, but Victoria couldn't help feeling they were dragging their feet for more than one reason. Unlike most of their other trips, this one would be into completely uncharted territory. They fell perfectly into their roles whenever they were going to gather information, and could usually mobilize and head out in under two days now. This unknown future, and the no small amount of nerves it was causing, meant that they were taking more time than usual.

Edith emerged from the hallway, a tray in hand. Victoria glanced up at her, wondering if she'd been visiting Orion. She moved briefly to the kitchen, set it down, and when she came back into the living room Victoria had just worked out the kink in her neck. "Can I talk to you?"

Victoria lifted an eyebrow, checked to see if Jason was lingering over her shoulder, and deduced that Edith was, indeed, addressing her. "Sure," she said, getting up and stretching her almost-asleep legs. "What's up?"

Edith looked nervous, though their meticulous hostess often looked that way these days. Victoria couldn't blame her. "I was just wondering… could you give me an exact date for your return home?"

Victoria frowned, tilting her head to the side and mulling over both the answer to that question and why it had been asked. "It… will probably be pretty uncertain," she ventured. "If we get the support we need we might be there for quite a while. If not… well, I'd rather not think about that, but I imagine in that case we'd be home pretty soon. Why?"

Edith glanced at the floor and huffed out a short breath, then said to her carpet, "Just, the past few times you all have returned have been quite… sudden. I understand that it was out of your hands, but… it's been a little rough on the Pokémon. I'm noticing them acting stranger and stranger."

Victoria said nothing for a moment, poised between being understanding and mildly frustrated. It made sense to want peace and order in a place that housed emotionally or physically challenged Pokémon. However, nothing about their lives was peaceful or orderly, and it wasn't likely to suddenly change any time soon. Victoria said as much. "We can't really promise that, or predict if things go wrong. Like you said, it isn't like we're returning early on a whim."

Jason, who had been stuffing his pencil-marked papers back into their file, spoke up from nearby. "How about this," he ventured, "if we have to run for our lives again, we'll teleport to the outskirts of the property. Then one of us will call Edith and say we're back, so she's got a head's up to secure the Pokémon before we come inside."

It seemed a little inconvenient, but Victoria could hardly think of a good reason to refuse this one caveat to their incredibly gracious landlady of sorts. "Sounds like a plan," she said, checking her watch and seeing it was time to rouse Gav from one of his polyphasic naps so he could take his shift at the computer. Perhaps she could coerce him into letting his team out for a bit for a training session before he was too absorbed in cyber-land. "I'll let the others know."

* * *

Oddish had a real problem with dodging, which Victoria reasoned made sense. With such short legs and no arms, the little plant didn't exactly come across as agile. What it lacked in speed it made up for in powder attacks, though, and as Geodude shot forward for a tackle that's exactly what it did. Stun Spores splattered all over Geodude's face, and Oddish managed to just barely roll aside as the temporarily blinded rock slammed into the grass instead. Geodude rolled there, using its arms to wipe at its tough skin, and Gav chuckled. "Come back here; let's get that taken care of."

Geodude obediently hovered closer, and Gav dug out a Paralyze Heal from his pack. "Thanks, for this," he said to Victoria as he kneeled down and began spraying it over Geodude's rocky skin.

"For what, the Paralyze Heal?" Victoria joked, though she knew what the answer was.

Gav knew that she knew, and gave her an upward glance and a warm chuckle. "I'm sure these guys," he said, motioning to Geodude and to Cubone, who was resting nearby after its battle with Weepinbel, "appreciate that you're constantly on me about exercising them more."

"I'm sure they do," Victoria said, leaning down to brush down Oddish's leaves just to have something to do. "Figured we might as well let them stretch while they can. Who knows how long we'll be holed up in Saffron."

At the mention of Saffron Gav's mild, relaxed attitude morphed into that usual expression of muted nausea that he now wore more often than not. Victoria noticed it, and, feeling bad for bringing the subject up, tried to think of a different one to switch to.

Gav had shifted back into work-mode, though, and as he stood up Victoria could tell he would be talking logistics in a moment. Cutting him off at the pass, and feeling more than a little frustrated that an otherwise normal training session had turned into another worry-fest, she said, "Before you start—why don't we let these two grapple on their own rather than just hang around and twiddle their thumbs while we talk?"

Gav blinked, his train of thought obviously adjusting back to Pokémon-training-talk, but he nodded after a split second's hesitation. "Of course." He gestured to Geodude and said, "Go get 'im!" and Victoria gave Oddish a nudge forward to show it was okay to battle without commands from her. Oddish was always a little on the shy side, and Victoria reasoned an impromptu battle would be good for its self-confidence and autonomy. The two Pokémon sparred with one another as she and Gav moved off to the side, always keeping one eye on the battle.

"So, we'll be heading out within the week," Gav began, and Victoria crossed her arms and listened, knowing this would be one of his nervous recaps of their plan. He'd run the plan by her so many times she could recite it in her sleep, but Gav had a reason for repeating himself to her so often. Victoria was notorious for being the group's devil's advocate, and had already poked a number of holes into their logistics and timing which had then been patched up through group meetings and rescheduling. Gav had taken to running everything by her, just to see if she'd come up with something he'd overlooked that needed to be fixed, and most of the time Victoria was quite happy to help. It was getting a little much now that she'd told him this current incarnation of their plan was fine four times in a row, though. Now it looked like it would be dry-run number five.

"Right," she said, nodding and struggling to motivate her brain to truly analyze and think about their course of action yet again. To her right Oddish squeaked and dodged a Tackle, and Victoria glanced over briefly to make sure everything was okay.

"We'll set up a campsite outside the Saffron City limits, to the north, rather than stay at any Centers."

"Right, since we don't exactly have a good track record with Saffron City right now," Victoria agreed.

"From there we head down into the city proper, disguises in place, in groups of no more than four."

"Yes," Victoria said.

"Saffron Gym always has a ton of traffic, so we should blend in. Each of our groups will take one of the three lines feeding in through the doors, and try to stagger it out so we're entering at roughly the same time."

"But if that doesn't work, it's not the end of the world," Victoria added, since there was no way they could guarantee they'd all reach Whittaker-Cheng at the same time. Gym Leaders didn't take ten challengers all at once, after all.

"Right," Gav said. "So, each group will be given their own copy of the files, and will be told what to say to Whittaker-Cheng if they reach him. And... whoever gets there first will represent our group."

Victoria nodded. "And from that point on, we really can't plan anything, since we have no idea where this will go from then on out."

Gav let out a strained sigh but looked a little less anxious than he had when she'd first slipped up and mentioned Saffron. "I just feel like there's something we're overlooking," he said, which had become his catch-phrase over the past few days. Victoria had heard it uttered more times than Blake's "go to sleep, whack-jobs."

Wanting to be simultaneously comforting and blunt about how certain aspects of this were just going to be out of their control, Victoria debated what she wanted to say for a moment. "I really don't think we are," she finally said. "Lord knows we've been over this enough times."

He smiled at her, a bit abashed. "Sorry," he tacked on.

"You better be," Victoria quipped back, but playfully. "I've been dreaming about this plan of ours at night now. I can't escape it." The battle had come to an abrupt stop over to their side, and Victoria glanced over to see if Geodude had succumbed to the type disadvantage or if Oddish had been defeated due to its lack of battle confidence. Judging by the fact that Oddish was lying flat on its back and rolling back and forth in an exhausted, spent way, Victoria gathered that Gav's Pokémon had earned itself a victory, but likely by the skin of its teeth. It looked a little worn out, if she could judge the status of a living boulder.

Gav lifted his eyebrows at the Pokémon and nodded. "Way to go," he said.

Geodude turned to Gav and started over to him, but then landed, something the Rock-type never did. It was virtually always hovering, and only touched down on the ground when near-collapse or hit with Sleep Powder. Gav frowned at it, concerned, but a second later Victoria understood.

"It's a good year for evolution," she said, trying and failing to suppress her smile. Gav looked up at her, his expression priceless, but she motioned for him to continue watching his Pokémon.

It was just about the strangest thing Victoria had ever seen, and a little frightening to boot. She knew logically that this had to be evolution, but for a long while it simply looked like Geodude was breaking. There were no other words to describe the short and long fractures that appeared in its shiny body, spiderweb veins that stretched down its arms and began to shift. She could hear the gentle scraping of rock against rock, a sound she normally heard when Gav's Pokémon was using Harden. This went on for much longer, though, and she could see the outer layer of rocky hide moving aside to accommodate more stone that was emerging from within. The layers multiplied over and over again, shifting down, left, and right to create a growing shape. Some of the little slabs of rock seemed uncertain about where to move; one piece in particular near Geodude's eye repositioned itself no fewer than seven times. Fascinated that this process was not a linear and predetermined thing, Victoria sat down and was immediately joined by Oddish, who seemed to be recovering and looked just as entranced.

Victoria noticed the four extra limbs emerging a little late. Geodude already had two rocky feet and the start of new fingertips at its chest by the time she clued in. They pushed out slowly, forming as they went, and it took a long time for the toes to shape. It was missing its left big toe for quite a while, and that was one of the last parts to slide into place. There was a sighing, dusty sound, like a rockslide settling and displacing trapped air, and the process was over.

Graveler was huge. In reality it was probably only just over three feet tall, but compared to the Geodude she was used to seeing, it was jarring. Graveler stretched its longer arms, flexing and looking down at itself as if interested and mildly impressed. Victoria glanced up at Gav and saw him shut his mouth, as he had been gaping slightly. She suppressed a smile as Gav's grew, and he stooped down to examine his changed Pokémon. Graveler allowed itself to be felt and turned this way and that, now looking rather proud. Victoria had to rib at him.

"Well, good job on evolving there, in spite of how little your trainer battles with you." Graveler gave her a look as if to say _I know, right?_ and Gav laughed softly at both of them, his eyes brighter and more at ease than she'd seen them in months.

She didn't understand why the smile downgraded so quickly.

"What's up?" she ventured, when the happiness didn't seem to return to full strength.

Gav glanced up at her, his eyes trying to read her face for a split second. Then the warm, too-adult smile slid into place and he shook his head. "Just a little tired."

_Bullshit_, Victoria thought, but left it at that for the time being. She sprayed Potion on Oddish, since she figured her Plant-type would no longer be interested in battling this enormous version of its playmate. Sure enough, Oddish looked a little wary now. She wondered if she'd have to give it a pep-talk the next time Gav and she wanted to battle. She glanced up at Gav to say as much, and caught him staring off at a patch of grass, a faraway look and slight frown on his face. His hand was still resting on Graveler's side, and his Pokémon was looking at him with concern.

Okay, screw tact. "Gav. Seriously." When she had his attention again she crossed her arms and cocked her hip.

"Oh no," Gav said, his formerly half-hearted smile returning and growing into a mischievous one. "I'm in trouble now. You've adopted the stance."

Victoria smiled a little, but other than that disregarded his joke. "Don't insult my intelligence, please. I think I've known you long enough to tell when you're hiding something."

The grin faltered and his eyes flickered just a bit. "Victoria, really. It's nothing major."

"Which is why you should have no trouble sharing."

Gav groaned and scrubbed a hand through his dark hair, and Victoria took a little mercy on him. She quirked an eyebrow and smirked, tilting her head to the side to study him. "Man, you really must be off your game. Usually you can tango your way around my conversational traps better than this."

Gav gave a wan smile at that and sat back on his haunches, casting a fond glance at Graveler, who was still looking at him with a little confusion. A brief look of guilt crossed over Gav's face and he rubbed down the slightly dirty patches at Graveler's shoulder and back, which it seemed to like. Graveler sat down with a dull thud and allowed itself to be cleaned off for a bit. Victoria waited, trying to employ patience she normally did not possess.

Eventually he sighed. "I know we literally just finished going over this about five minutes ago, but it's this whole Gym Leader thing. It's got me rattled."

"How so?" Victoria sat back down cross-legged on the grass, and Oddish waddled back over to be checked for bugs.

"It's just…" he looked around, not for eavesdroppers, but as if something around him could supply him with the proper words or an escape. "This is it. I'm sorry I can't seem to think about anything else."

He didn't look like he'd be able to go on, and at any rate, he didn't have to. Victoria had always understood.

It was no secret that this project was Gav's life. She'd been joking around with him about never training his Pokémon, but it was kind of true. Kaylee occasionally muscled him into a battle, and this one between Victoria and him had been the first in months. She didn't think Gav had ever fought any of the Initiates, or Orion, or Zahlia. She had once asked him if he had aspirations for taking over Pewter Gym after Armstrong retired, and he'd seemed genuinely surprised. Evidently Brock had had a slew of siblings, most of whom had a number of grandchildren. Gav reasoned that one of them could take over if they had a propensity for Rock-types, and the fact that he didn't even know any of his second cousins had been a bit of a shock to her. Though Victoria wasn't close to her own family anymore, she at least knew the basics of their lives. Gav didn't seem to even know their names.

Kaylee and he had been doing this for years; for at least a third of their lives, this had been their bread, butter and burden.

They had never trusted the police or the media, and while a Gym Leader seemed far more promising, Whittaker-Cheng was still a figure of authority. For all his level-headedness, Gav had a surprisingly big problem with those.

"I just… never thought it would actually happen, somehow." At Victoria's incredulous look, he elaborated. "I mean, I knew we'd do something with this. Not gather information forever. Just… it got so surreal after a while. Pipe dream."

Victoria nodded, resting her chin in her hand and her elbow on her knee as she studied him. His posture was carved from stone and tension.

"I just keep asking myself… is it good enough? We've got so much riding on this. It's not just Kay and me anymore, either. It's Jason, Orion, Amaris… maybe even the Nakawas."

"Well," Victoria reasoned, sweeping her hair behind her shoulders and shrugging. "If you keep up with that attitude, you'll never feel it's good enough." Gav was looking at her with a mix of trepidation and interest, and she continued, matter-of-fact. "Regardless, this is going to happen. Worrying about it is only going to distract you and drive you nuts. I don't know if that will make you feel better or not, but this is already in motion. It's out of your hands, and…" she shrugged again, uncomfortable with giving praise and comfort, but sensing the need now. "And you've done so wonderfully. No one could have done any better. You know your stuff and it's going to show. So, nut up or shut up," she finished, unable to keep up the supportive, sentimental speech.

Gav's expression, which had been gradually edging into something deeply touched and slightly flustered, blossomed back into his former grin. Victoria let out a soft sigh of relief. Getting too heavy wasn't a great idea with so much else going on. Gav chuckled to himself, apparently very tickled by her blunt advice, and got to his feet. He held a hand out to her, and Victoria was struck by an image of the boy a few years younger, hair held back in a messy ponytail, the sounds of retreating Fearow getting farther and farther away. She had refused his hand then, shaken and proud. She accepted it now.

Gav didn't merely help her to her feet, though. The momentum turned into a soft tug forward, and soon she was wrapped in a hug. Generally unversed in hugs, Victoria felt her face heat up with a blend of self-consciousness and surprise, but Gav didn't seem to care that she'd tensed up. "Thank you," he said quietly from somewhere above her head and Victoria blinked rapidly, trying to compose herself. It took her what felt like years to figure out the mechanics of hugging him back, though in reality it was seconds. He was so warm it would have been uncomfortable if it hadn't been a cool evening. Did all boys radiate this much heat?

"Don't get sappy on me yet," she muttered into his chest, finally locating her voice and sarcasm, both of which had gone temporarily into hiding. "We've got a long ways to go. Work's not over yet."

Gav pulled back slightly and looked down into her face, if anything looking more grateful. "Aye, aye," he said, removing his hands from her shoulders and taking a step back. He held her eyes for another moment before turning back to Graveler, looking more appropriately excited by his Pokémon's evolution. Victoria was glad he wasn't looking at her any more—she was having a hard time hiding her smile. She'd have to give up her quest to ever understand Gav.

* * *

((Author's Note: I'm alive. Somehow. To be honest there were times I thought I'd never be able to get back to this project, but I am determined to see it through to the end. So, after over a year's hiatus, here it is. This chapter has been in the cooker for over two years, and got too long, so I broke it up into two parts. The next chapter will be proof-read and polished next, and should be up soon.))


	25. Third Time's the Charm :Victoria:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 25: Third Time's the Charm

(Victoria Larson)

Victoria quickly decided that incurable insanity was one of the job requirements for Gym designers. The Saffron Gym sported large, swooping metal arcs that she strongly suspected were gold, or at least gold-plated. The base of each plate came to a precarious little point, and the architectural enigma hurt her brain. "How does this whole place not fall down?" Beth muttered near her ear, once again demonstrating her sibling superpower of reading Victoria's mind.

"Beats me," Victoria said, but Jason had adopted an airy, tour guide tone and was reading off his Dex, which was held aloft and pointed at the Gym.

"The Saffron City Gym is one of the city's most exquisite architectural feats, a true testament to… blah blah blah," he abridged, scrolling. "Ah, here. The delicate design was made to encompass the poise, focus, and balance needed to master Psychic Pokémon." He put his Dex down and Kaylee nervously giggled, something she'd been doing on-and-off for days.

"The building needs 'poise and focus' to stay upright? Not comforting."

Beth chuckled at that, and Victoria allowed her eyes to wander down the considerable lines of hopeful trainers queued outside the doors. They'd arrived in little clusters, dividing themselves up at random. Jason seemed entirely unperturbed for being the only Initiate in their posse of four.

Gav was in the line to their right, a backwards baseball cap clipped surreptitiously to his hair, which was tucked up and away. The light brown fake ponytail that hung out the back looked a little unwashed and unkempt, and he had dressed to match, modeling Gina and Victoria's "grunge" effect handiwork. It was utterly disorienting seeing him so mussed and disarrayed, but it looked natural. For their return to Saffron they had pulled out all the stops on their disguises.

Gav turned, scanning the line with a bored gaze, but Victoria caught the way he kept his eyes shut a little too long on a blink. He had to be half out of his mind with apprehension. Her heart went out to him and she earnestly wished she could send him a comforting text—with just a touch of snark, of course. They had decided to forego electronic communication as much as possible, not completely sure that Saffron was free of phone-tapping technology. Their neurotic obsession with precautionary measures was leveling up more than their Pokémon these days.

When the person ahead of Gav disappeared inside the Gym though, he turned to look at her. It was quick, and Victoria was glad she had a reassuring smile ready for him when he met her eyes. The smallest quirk at the corner of his mouth expressed both his trepidation and his gratitude, and a second later he, too, was beckoned inside.

Kaylee's giggles had ceased abruptly about five trainers ago, and she swore softly next to Victoria. Victoria reached out and took her hand, giving it a short squeeze before letting go.

Their line felt like it was only shifting forward a few inches an hour, but Beth and Victoria arrived at the entrance quicker than she strictly wanted. Beth was in front of her and Victoria's stomach tensed as the bored-looking man at the door glanced them over. "You a group?" he asked blandly.

"What's the trainer cap?" Beth asked instead of specifying the number in their party.

"Three," the man said, "but I'd recommend no more than two. Takes forever usually, otherwise."

Beth and Victoria glanced at one another, then at Kaylee and Jason. Jason was looking down the line next to them at Gina and Amaris, who seemed to be in a position to enter the Gym doors at the same time as he would be. Victoria wondered if Jason would hop in on their group, team up with Kaylee, or go it alone.

Kaylee smiled, looking a little ill, and shook her head. "Rather do this solo, if it's all the same."

Beth nodded and Victoria frowned, concerned, but there was no time. The man stamped the backs of their hands like they were entering an amusement park and ushered them in. Victoria cast a final glance back at Kaylee, who offered her a smile that failed to communicate anything other than dread.

At first Victoria thought there was some sort of test being given to them. The room they entered was extremely small, and it appeared there were no doors leading anywhere, except the doors they had just entered through. Her confusion must have shown since the sole other occupant of the room, a girl who was also dressed in the golden-yellow Gym uniform, started rattling off a canned speech.

"Please note that this Gym utilizes teleportation technology in the form of tele-warp pads, as seen here." She gestured with her foot at a large floor tile Victoria had not previously seen. "If you experience or have ever experienced health problems related to teleportation technology, please see our HR department around the side of the building before continuing."

The girl sounded just as bored and sucked dry of any enjoyment as the boy outside had. Victoria tuned out her continued talk about liabilities and puzzled instead over the warp tile. How odd that both Silph and this Gym used the same technology, and yet nowhere else in the region seemed to have it yet. Victoria wondered if it was still in a prototype phase, and how much it differed technologically from the Initiates' Dex teleporters.

Though she had tuned out a fair chunk of the Gym employee's speech, Victoria realized with some surprise that she was still going. No wonder these lines took forever to move anywhere.

"This Gym is also full of psychic energy from our many trainer rooms which are connected through the series of tele-warp pads. If you've ever experienced an adverse health reaction due to psychic type energy, please see our HR department now, around the side of the building, before continuing on."

Victoria sighed softly and rubbed her forehead, but thank goodness, the girl seemed to be wrapping up.

"It is up to each challenger to find the Gym Leader through the maze of inter-connected tele-warp pads. If you decide you no longer wish to challenge the Leader, simply notify the trainer in the nearest room and he or she will send you back here. Any questions?"

"Nope," Victoria said quickly.

"Then please step forward onto the tele-warp pad and enjoy your time in the Saffron City Gym." It sounded like the girl tried to inject a little more enthusiasm into that last sentence, but she was largely unsuccessful. The sisters cast each other a glance, then stepped forward as one onto the tile. Tingles shot up Victoria's body, and a moment later they were gone.

The battle room they appeared in was much larger than the cramped little lobby, and it contained two trainers who were watching the girls keenly.

The first trainer was a tall girl, almost old enough to be called a woman in Victoria's mind but not quite there yet. Her face was set in stern lines, her features a little exaggerated, and Victoria could frequently see almost the entire white ring of cornea around her dark irises. She was off-putting, to say the least. The other trainer did most of the talking, smiling at them from behind a considerable beard. It didn't really match his skinny, short frame, and Victoria was struck by the impression of a little kid playing dress up with a Halloween costume. His voice was also extremely deep, which just threw her off more. Both of them seemed to fall somewhere in the middle section of the Venn Diagram between adult and child.

"So, is this your first time at the Saffron Gym or have you been whooped here before?" he asked, and Victoria felt a twitch of affront in her chest.

"First time," she said, mentally placing and arranging the chip on her shoulder just so. Wanting to cut to the chase and skim off any small talk or posturing, she asked, "So, two Pokémon for each of us?"

"If that's what you want," the man-boy said, to all appearances unperturbed by her pushiness. "But usually the way we run it is that, between your team, you get four. You can divvy it up 3-1, 2-2, or 1-3."

"Fine," Victoria said, not caring, and felt more than saw Beth moving into position beside her.

"Good choice," the guy said, also backing up a little as the girl to his left sized the sisters up. "You'll be less likely to completely lose with that option."

Victoria rolled her eyes and looked imploringly at the ceiling for a moment, trying to invoke whatever deity usually dealt with insufferable braggarts. Flashes of red erupted around the room and a moment later Victoria and Beth (as well as Weepinbel and Poliwhirl) were facing down a Golduck and a Kadabra. Victoria always thought the subtle differences between Pokémon of the same species were fascinating; Amaris' Kadabra looked different from Jason's, which looked different from this one. The Kadabra across from them could only be described as the Pokémon-equivalent of a body-builder. It stood in front of the girl trainer, its expression as intense and slightly-manic as hers.

"Ready?" the guy asked, and Victoria fought back a sigh and nodded.

It was her first Gym battle, and suddenly whatever lingering disrespect she had for Initiates vanished. This would be beyond difficult. The Golduck was impossibly fast, responding to a command Victoria hadn't even heard. The blue Water-type shot forward and Victoria braced herself just as her Pokémon did. It didn't physically hit, though—instead a high-intensity, short concussion blast of energy rushed across Weepinbel's body and her Pokémon toppled over backwards, upturned. Alarmed and not at all sure what had just happened, Victoria spotted Poliwhirl dodging a Psybeam to her right. _Holy crap._

It was their turn, and it looked like their opponents were seconds away from going again if they didn't decide quickly.

Beth called out "Double-slap!" right as Victoria called out "Stun Spore!" not caring which of the psychic Pokémon hers aimed the powder at. When Weepinbel took up its stance and proceeded to stand there doing nothing for a beat, Victoria did a double-take.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, since she was informed what the hell was going on) the guy had seen her confusion. "That's Disable!" he explained in a pedantic way, shifting away from Poliwhirl, who had overshot its attack. The Kadabra had apparently teleported away to dodge.

_Perfect_, Victoria thought venomously, remembering that Disable usually only affected part of a Pokémon's performance. Weepinbel was not completely useless, but she'd have to use a process of elimination to determine which attacks it could still use. In the meantime Poliwhirl dodged the Kadabra's Psychic attack, but only just—the Kadabra had reappeared extremely close to it and Poliwhirl was hit by some stray tendrils of fast-moving energy. Victoria had just worked out her next plan when the Golduck let loose a huge ray of what felt like heat waves. Victoria stumbled away from the area of effect, feeling a shaky weakness threaten her balance, and a moment later her Pokémon hit the ground heavily, unable to dodge due to its new handicap. Victoria stared in disbelief, willing it to get up, but it did not.

"Oh, Critical Hit, from the looks," the guy narrated, and genuine fury flared in Victoria's chest, though it was mingled with a good amount of cold dread. Her strongest Pokémon was out two turns in.

She couldn't lose any time, though; Beth's Poliwhirl had just hit Kadabra with Water Gun, but she couldn't afford to have both opponents focused on her. Victoria tossed Oddish's ball out into the field and shouted "Stun Spore!" the second it appeared. Even given its lack of agility, Oddish was remarkably quick with its reflexes and responses, and a moment later sticky seeds sprayed out all over the Golduck. Victoria felt a bitter surge of vindication that was intensified as the Golduck missed its next attack.

The Kadabra teleported away from them and into the far corner of the room, and Victoria stared at it, not understanding, but her attention was grabbed away a second later when Poliwhirl slammed straight into the Golduck's back. The Water-types skidded across the floor, Poliwhirl half-wrestling it as they went (something truly impressive for a creature shaped like a disc.) When Beth's Pokémon jumped up and away, the Golduck was twitching ineffectively against the tile.

The boy trainer took a moment to analyze it thoughtfully, and in the meantime Victoria clued in to what the other Pokémon was doing—she'd never seen Recover before, as neither of her friends' Kadabras had learned the move yet, but she had to admit it was very impressive. White-hot whorls of power circled around its form, appearing to sink into its skin and surge in and out of its body as easily as a hand passing through water.

The end result was both of their opponents temporarily tied up, allowing Beth and Victoria a breather. Not sure how long it would last; Victoria took a deep, shaky breath and planned her next move carefully. It was an unspoken rule that no one would attack a Pokémon that was in the middle of a heal cycle, so long as the heal cycle didn't span multiple turns (like Rest.) In the interim the guy recalled his Golduck and Victoria executed a little fist pump in her head.

The Kadabra was done, and the second it opened its eyes Victoria shouted, "Vine Whip!" Her heart sank as it teleported away with ease in spite of the fact that it had been in deep meditation mere moments before. Victoria was starting to really understand the strength of that one Pokémon in particular, and pegged it as her focus unless the boy's next choice was something worse.

Victoria thought she was seeing double, or had travelled back in time when she saw the Golduck back out on the battlefield. It leapt forward at Poliwhirl and Oddish, and both Pokémon braced themselves, unable to get away from such a fast charge. The Golduck didn't hit them, though it came very close—it executed a cutting combination of a back flip and roundhouse kick, the sharp edge of its tail grazing both of their Pokémon for a heart-stopping moment. It took Victoria an embarrassingly long time to realize it had been Tail Whip of all things, and in the meantime the Kadabra had landed a Psybeam to Poliwhirl.

"Poison Powder!" Victoria called to Oddish, coming to a second conclusion as the purple stuff exploded in the surprised Kadabra's face—the Golduck was not the same one from before. It had to be a second one—this one was larger. _How lame_, Victoria groused inwardly, already nursing a grudge against the ducks and not excited to see another.

Beth recalled Poliwhirl for a Super Potion and Victoria felt a surge of relief. She hadn't thought her sister would take a risk with another attack, but it was still nerve-wracking when one fought on a team. Your partner was completely under their own jurisdiction and Victoria knew she would never concede to team battling with anyone other than her sister, and perhaps Gav or Kaylee, if she could help it. While Beth hurriedly sprayed her Pokémon down, the girl whistled in a sudden, shrill blast. Victoria jumped, but the Kadabra teleported to her side, obeying the cue. The boy laughed at her twitchiness and Victoria ground her teeth. It was worsened by the realization that the girl was using an Antidote on her Kadabra. _Damn you for being a responsible trainer_, she thought viciously.

She'd lost track of whose turn it was since each move was executed with such furious speed, often overlapping each other's. The answer was supplied in short order when the Golduck leapt forward and slashed its claws against an unprepared Oddish. Oddish squeaked in pain and Victoria cringed, but Poliwhirl was back with a vengeance. It leapt forward to help, not simply smacking the Golduck—Double-slap had turned into Double-backhand-of-righteousness. It only managed to get two in before the Golduck tumbled away, but Victoria was ready. Oddish was finally able to do what Victoria had been trying to achieve the entire battle—execute a devastating Plant move against the Water-type. It was just a run-of-the-mill Absorb, but against the Golduck it might as well have been a Gigadrain. It hit the ground so fast it was comical.

Victoria couldn't resist: "Perhaps third time's the charm?"

The boy didn't look so smug this time, but a second later Victoria's smile fell off her face as well. "_Really_?" she asked, scarcely believing it. A third Golduck stared menacingly at them from across the field. What was _with_ this guy?

She had no time for her chagrin, though. The Kadabra let loose Psychic again, and Victoria knew it was bad before the roiling waves were done coursing over their Pokémon. Poliwhirl was staggering, holding itself and shaking, but Oddish was down. Even the energy it had just gained from the Golduck wasn't enough to withstand that.

Victoria cursed under her breath, the implication of her loss hitting her now that her part of the battle was over. She'd be sent right back out, and waiting in that long line again—she'd never get back in on time, and would be utterly unable to assist with Whittaker-Cheng. She couldn't understand why Beth was staring at her expectantly, though…

"What are you waiting for?" her sister hissed, taking as much time as she possibly could to heal Poliwhirl. Victoria seriously wondered if all the psychic energy had gone to her sister's head, and she stared at her out of the side of her eye, worried.

"I'm out of Pokémon," Victoria said after a pause, but it hit her just as her sister said, "No, you aren't."

"Oh no," Victoria said, putting her hands up desperately. "No, you can't seriously mean that. That's—no _way_."

"Do you want to be disqualified?" Beth countered in a tone that was surprisingly close to snappy. The battle was clearly weighing hard on her nerves too.

"But—" Victoria lowered her voice, "it's just delaying the inevitable. And I seriously think that's some kind of punishable Pokémon-abuse offense. There's no way I'm gonna last."

"You kind of don't have a choice," Beth said peevishly, getting to her feet and speaking in a rushed whisper now that she was very obviously done with her turn. "I'm not letting you forfeit."

"What are you waiting for?" the boy asked, intolerant as always. "I see a third Pokeball at your belt."

"God," Victoria groaned under her breath, unclasping it from her belt and staring down at it miserably. "I am so, so sorry."

A moment later Metapod sat on the gold tiles, looking like the most out-of-place thing Victoria had ever seen. There was a beat of silence.

The girl spoke up for the first time since the battle had begun. "Is this some kind of joke?" Victoria violently wished it was.

"Uh… okay," the boy said, apparently too thrown off to make a snide comment. He exchanged an incredulous look with the girl trainer, and before Victoria could decide if forfeiting and hauling ass away from here was the better choice, the battle resumed.

The Golduck shot forward and Victoria's sucked in a pained breath as it landed a devastating Scratch attack to Metapod. She cringed and shut her eyes for a moment, insides writhing with guilt and sympathy, but in that moment the Kadabra landed a Confusion hit on Poliwhirl. Beth swore under her breath beside her and shouted, "Water Gun!" at her Pokemon, which miraculously still hit target even while Poliwhirl swayed on its feet, obviously disoriented.

"Healing!" Victoria shouted over the fray, not wanting anyone to skip over her turn. She dashed over to Metapod, which was sporting three angry, red lines on its front, and kneeled beside it.

"Some trainer I am," she muttered quietly to it, swallowing around a lump in her throat as she sprayed its wounds down with Super Potion. "I should just let you go, huh?" She rubbed the Potion into the wound and watched as it grew less vibrant and noticeable under the hasty work of the medicine. "Just try to last through this one ordeal and I'll find you a great place to live. I promise."

"Done with your pep talk?" the boy asked, arms crossed over his chest. "There are a ton of challengers waiting outside, in case you didn't notice." Victoria looked up at him, red-faced and seething, but said nothing. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Instead she got up and took her place next to Beth, holding her breath as the battle resumed.

The Golduck leapt forward at Metapod while the Kadabra and Poliwhirl squared off against each other. Victoria winced in preparation for the second hit, but to her immense shock Metapod rolled out of the way at the last moment, sustaining only a minor nick to the tip of its cocoon. Victoria's mouth fell open at the dodge, by far the most she'd ever seen that Pokémon move. The Golduck looked scandalized, and to its left Poliwhirl and Kadabra both failed at hitting each other with their various attacks. Psybeam and Water Gun went wildly astray and the boy and girl trainers had to dive aside to avoid a deluge of water.

"Uh—Harden?" Victoria called, lifting her hands up as if she could pull a better idea out of the air around her. Her Pokémon shifted and made a rustling, settling sound, and a moment later its glossy green skin reflected the light like a suit of organic armor.

Victoria braced herself for another attack from the Golduck, but it seemed done with her Metapod. The boy ordered a Scratch to Poliwhirl, and unfortunately this one hit target right across the blue Pokémon's spiral-swirled belly. Before Beth could call an order for her Pokémon to retreat, a second Psybeam hit it dead-center as well, and Victoria fought with everything she had not to drop her face into her hands.

"Healing!" Beth shouted, though both of their opposing trainers didn't look surprised at all that this was her choice. Both had adopted relaxed, cross-armed stances and appeared to be waiting for the sisters to regroup. Beth darted over to Poliwhirl, and Victoria didn't need a Dex viewfinder to see that it was within an inch of its health. With both of their opponents focusing on Poliwhirl versus Metapod, this battle would enter the death row cycle immediately, and once Beth ran out of Potions and Poliwhirl was dispatched, Metapod would be easy game. Beth looked up at her sister from over her Pokémon, which was struggling to stand, and their look communicated the knowledge they both had: it was only a matter of time now. There was no way they could win this match.

When the battle resumed Poliwhirl managed to dodge a Scratch from Golduck, but those waves of disabling energy from Kadabra hit it square. Beth, to her credit, didn't let this stop her plan of action. She shouted, "Double-slap!" almost before the Disable was done washing over her Pokémon, and Poliwhirl somersaulted forward and laid some amazing smack-down upon the Psychic type. The Kadabra was clearly not expecting a full-frontal assault so soon after its partner had landed a hit, and when the Double-slap hit five times in a row the Kadabra skidded to the ground in a messy heap. Victoria's eyebrows shot up as she waited on tenterhooks to see if the Kadabra would get up. When it didn't appear like it was going to she almost forgot to shout out her next command to Metapod while the exhausted Poliwhirl and the last remaining Golduck duked it out.

"Harden!" Victoria shouted again, wishing direly she could toss a Potion at Beth's Pokémon, which definitely needed it. Poliwhirl dodged a Psychic attack but missed horribly in its next Body Slam and flew past its opponent.

When she looked back at Metapod, she did a small double-take. It didn't look any different at all from the way it had been before. She wondered if it had somehow missed her command, which was the only move it actually knew, but it seemed to be stubbornly remaining where it was, unmoving and still as shiny as ever. There was perhaps some slight shifting under the cocoon's surface, but that was it.

The girl, who was now officially out of the battle, was watching the fight between Poliwhirl and Golduck with a neutral, closed expression. Victoria could scarcely believe they were still in this fight, but it didn't look like it would last much longer; Poliwhirl was looking as haggard as she'd ever seen it and the Golduck, though also worse for the wear, was tenacious and didn't leave a moment for breathing room. Victoria turned to Beth, opening her mouth to suggest a heal break, but then a wrenching, cracking sound to their right arrested her attention.

"What?" the boy asked, doing a double-take to Metapod, and before Victoria could figure out what was happening, Metapod broke in half. A thrill of horror erupted in her core, but a moment later Beth was leaping up and down beside her.

"_Ohmigod!_" she shouted, and in the moment of confusion Poliwhirl blasted the Golduck in the face with Water Gun and rolled away from it frantically.

"No way," Victoria said, but her eyes apparently weren't lying to her. Covered in cocoon goo and flapping its young wings furiously, her new Butterfree emerged and let out a shrill insect cry.

The Golduck was waiting a command from its trainer, and when the boy stammered out, "Psychic! On the new one!" Poliwhirl tore after it as Butterfree flew messily into the sky to avoid the attack. The Golduck's energy blasted through the remnants of the Metapod shell and Poliwhirl tackled it from behind, their two forms crashing through the cocoon debri.

"Are you serious?" The boy asked, sounding a bit angry now. "You know if your Pokémon evolves mid-battle you can't use it for attacks anymore!"

"It didn't attack," Beth called out, pointing at her Poliwhirl which was now standing on the final fallen Golduck. "It just dodged out of the way, and if I'm not mistaken—"

"You're down to zero," Victoria finished, and Poliwhirl hopped down off the motionless Golduck to return to Beth's side.

"That doesn't count as a win!" the boy protested, but the girl trainer rolled her eyes and let out a terse sigh.

"They didn't break any rules and everyone knows Pokémon evolve whenever the hell they want to. Plus, you're the one who gave a battle command to attack it before we decided whether it was a legitimate battle contender. This one's on you. Let it go, we've got a long day ahead of us."

The boy turned to her and spoke in low, mutinous tones, jabbing a finger at Butterfree and Victoria, but Victoria was tuning him out now. Butterfree had landed back on the ground, obviously still getting used to its new body, and Beth was healing up Poliwhirl.

"I don't understand," Victoria said, dropping down to the ground and holding out her arms so her Pokémon could come over to her if it chose to. She wouldn't have blamed it in the slightest if it snubbed her after the sheer neglect it had endured over the years, but the Bug-type flapped over and landed awkwardly in her lap. Victoria rubbed her hands over its wings, deceptively frail-looking, but they already felt firm and smooth as glass under her fingers. "I didn't train with Metapod... like, at all."

"Wow," Beth said, kneeling down beside her sister and reaching out to tentatively brush at some of the stringy white residue on Butterfree's head. "It must have been right on the verge of evolving this whole time."

Butterfree flapped its wings experimentally and shook out its head, cocoon dust drifting away in little puffs of displaced air, and Victoria started to chuckle quietly, shaking her head and putting a hand over her face. She felt like perhaps the stupidest, but luckiest trainer in the world.

* * *

_((Author's note: To answer a reviewer's question, which was a good one to clarify, I intend on finishing this entire story, with all its multiple arcs, through to the end, not just Scarlet :) Chapter 31 is done in its entirety, as are bits of chapters 26-30 in between, but I need to connect the dots and spruce up the text before posting.))_


	26. Throw Caution to the Wind :Jason:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 26: Throw Caution to the Wind

(Jason Fremont)

"Confusion!"

Their opponent's battle command pretty much summed the situation up.

Eevee, Nidorino and Sandshrew scattered, and in the space where their three Pokémon had just been a searing wave of psychic energy flew instead towards the three trainers. Gina, Amaris and Jason likewise split, not interested in getting hit by it. Before Jason could call anything out to Nidorino, who was rounding to face its combatants, the Hypno executed a tumble-roll and sprang to its feet right in front of Jason's Pokémon, hitting not only it, but Amaris' nearby Eevee, with a second Confusion attack. Jason cursed under his breath as both Nidorino and Eevee reeled and tumbled to the ground.

His previous idea that this whole Gym battle thing would be a "more the merrier" type situation was laughably, horribly wrong. With six trainers and six Pokémon out on the arena floor the battle had quickly turned into a flurry of shouts and attacks gone astray. The trainers were hoofing it across the floor as much as their teams were, trying to keep up with the ever-shifting battle and also avoid being struck by anything unpleasant themselves. Sweat was streaking down Jason's temples and his throat was parched only eight rounds in.

The second Pokémon they were up against, a Slowbro, had very quickly sank to the bottom of their initiative. It was the only one not moving very much, and appeared to be thinking pretty hard about something. Jason had taken to ignoring it for the most part, and counted himself lucky when his Nidorino was able to shake off its lingering confusion long enough to land a series of Double-kicks on the Hypno. Meanwhile Amaris' Eevee tried to use Bite on their final opponent, a Mr. Mime, but it phased away at the last second. Eevee's teeth closed on empty air with a sharp snap just as Gina's Sandshrew leapt up theatrically and landed a slash on the Hypno's chest.

Unfortunately the Slowbro decided what it wanted to do at that moment, and a second later waves of Disable energy had rushed over Sandshrew. The little rodent squeaked and began trying to burrow itself a hole in the Gym's tiled floor.

This battle was officially a nightmare. No one was even remotely paying attention to attack order anymore; it was pretty much a free-for-all among whoever could strike first.

Amaris ordered a Quick Attack against the Slowbro, which landed squarely on the large pink Pokémon's head. The Slowbro's trainer, an extremely mellow young man who moved about as often as his Pokémon, raised an eyebrow at Amaris.

"Was that really necessary?" he wondered aloud, but no one else had the time to answer him.

Mr. Mime, in the meanwhile, had tossed up a Barrier just as Nidorino surged forward for a Horn Attack. Jason cringed as his Pokémon bounced harmlessly off of what looked like shimmering air. Hypno rolled back to its trainer, Aikido-style, which Jason thought was utterly unnecessary since it was only going to get healed. He ground his teeth together in frustration, glaring at the Hypno and inwardly cursing the fact that other trainers also carried Super Potions on them.

Gina called for Sandshrew to try Poison Sting on Mr. Mime's barrier, but her Pokémon was still disabled and at a loss. It lurched towards the Mr. Mime like it knew what it wanted to do but wasn't quite sure how to make that idea a reality. Instead it went back to trying to burrow itself into the ground and Gina slapped her hands up over her eyes and forehead. Meanwhile Nidorino, which had strayed too close to the Slowbro, was hit with a Headbutt.

"Buddy!" Jason called as Nidorino rolled away from Slowbro and barked angrily at the other Pokémon. "Steer clear!"

Even through its barrier, Mr. Mime could evidently use its thrice-damned Confusion attack, and this one hit both Eevee and Jason's much-abused Nidorino again. Both of them let out sounds of dismay and distress and slid across the ground, pushed by the waves of psychic energy, and only Sandshrew was spared by being out of range.

The Hypno was back in the fray though, and it did its best to cast Hypnosis on all three Pokémon. Jason supposed the Hypno spent too much of its time practicing its tucking and rolling, though, because Eevee, Nidorino, and Sandshrew all managed to shake off the sleepy tendrils of energy that snaked towards them, though it looked like it was a very close call for Amaris' Eevee, who almost nodded off in spite of being quite roughed up.

"Healing," Jason called, almost in unison with Amaris. Nidorino and Eevee, long ago trained to return to their humans at that magical word, dragged themselves over to be sprayed down with Potions while Sandshrew leapt between their retreating backs and the three opponents. Gina's order had apparently been Sand-Attack, which Jason had missed, but it was unmistakable now that Sandshrew was producing little grains of dirt and sand out of its skin, from under its many back scales. Sandshrew shook itself like a dog and sent the debris flying at the other Pokémon, which scattered to avoid getting the stuff in their eyes. Well, all except for Slowbro, who just sat there and took a full blast of sand to the face. It looked mildly puzzled by this turn of events.

Jason had just finished spraying down Nidorino, who was looking a little better, when Sandshrew was hit by a devastating Water Gun attack from the deceptively lame-looking Slowbro. Sandshrew squealed in pain and rolled away from the clinging water and dirt, and Jason no longer had to use his Dex to know a critical hit when he saw one. He cringed as Gina ran to meet her Pokémon halfway, a Super Potion already in hand.

Nidorino and Eevee were back in the game, but now the Mr. Mime appeared to be using Light Screen. As interested as he was in Pokémon, Jason always mixed up Light Screen and Barrier in his mind, and found it more of an annoyance than anything else that this Mr. Mime was now doubly protected from attacks. The stupidly agile Hypno leapt forward and landed a Pound on Nidorino, but hurt itself simultaneously on Nidorino's back spikes. Jason shouted "Horn Attack!" and Nidorino seemed to have read his mind, already in place for a devastating slam. Jason executed a little fist pump of victory, but quickly tensed for the next development in this madness.

Amaris' Eevee bit Slowbro while Gina finished healing up Sandshrew. Since Eevee was within range already (or, that was Jason's reasoning, anyway) the Slowbro went for a Headbutt but missed. It was a miracle this Pokémon had managed to land many hits at all during this battle, in Jason's opinion, and what was even weirder was that its equally lazy trainer didn't seem to give it any verbal commands whatsoever.

Mr. Mime could apparently still move, even with both Barrier and Light Screen up, which Jason found to be both surprising and utterly unfair. Eevee, which had escaped its brush with the Slowbro, was now on the receiving end of a brutal series of Double-slaps. Its high-pitched whining twisted Jason's gut, but Amaris was tenacious as always, not even letting the Mr. Mime finish its attack before he was giving the order of "Bite!" to Eevee. Eevee did its best to obey, but couldn't seem to land a hit against the psychic type, and instead had to bail to avoid being attacked again.

Jason hated the Hypno most of all, however, as it truly seemed to have it out for his Nidorino. The Hypno appeared behind Nidorino, grabbed it, and landed a return Headbutt in what looked like a payback move for the earlier Horn Attack. It landed right on Nidorino's cheek and Jason's Pokémon howled in pain and fury. Jason didn't even get to give it an order—Nidorino had apparently had enough and had begun to Thrash. It looked like it was hurting itself in the process, but with its arms suddenly full of wildly flailing poisoned barbs, the Hypno took a few critical blows and dropped down to the ground in a very graceless heap.

Before Jason had a chance to see if it was actually down for the count, Sandshrew uttered a little battle cry and actually landed a hit with Slash against Mr. Mime, but the other Psychic-type barely flinched from the contact. Its defenses still seemed to be largely in place. In turn it blasted Sandshrew right in the torso with another Confusion attack, and the little yellow armadillo spun wildly through the air before crashing to the ground.

Gina hissed in a breath of air beside him, and in perfect unison this time, all three Initiates shouted, "Healing!"

Their battered teams crawled over to them in various stages of disarray, and it seemed to be an unspoken agreement that there was a small time-out while the Hypno's trainer walked over to it to assess the damage and whether or not it could still fight.

"Oh god," Gina said, her hands visibly shaking a bit as she dropped down and began spraying down her near-collapse Sandshrew with a Super Potion. "This is insane."

"I think the Hypno's down," Jason said, also kneeling down to treat Nidorino, who had indeed done a fair bit of damage to itself. "If that's the case maybe this will get easier."

"With that Mime's shield still up this battle is going to be far from easy," Amaris pointed out, already done healing Eevee and staring across the arena, his expression agitated and grim. Jason was too worn out to point out to the other boy that he knew it wasn't going to be a cake walk. _Duh_.

It appeared that the Hypno was indeed out of commission, at least, because a flash of red light caught Jason's eye to their right, and a moment later it was just Mr. Mime and Slowbro, one with a humming force field of energy and one with a slightly vacant look on its face. They knew they couldn't milk this healing break for much longer, and Jason took a deep breath and ran his dirty hands through his sweaty hair.

"You're doing great," he said to Nidorino, grinning down at it. "You took that show-off Hypno down." Sandshrew had taken to grooming Gina's jeans, something it seemed to find soothing, and she let it do so for a few more seconds before standing up. Amaris' Eevee was already pointed back toward the battle, poised and ready, just like its trainer who was apparently only waiting for his two team members to finish up. Jason stood, brushed his jeans off, and noticed with an incredulous double-take that the Hypno's trainer was off to the side of the arena, apparently totally uninterested in the rest of the battle and tapping away on his phone. _Really?_

The battle started again without any real signal or indication. It had been getting easier and easier for Jason to get the "feel" of a battle down like this, and he was sure he'd never have to resort to announcing his every intention or checking in with his opponents all the time. For a brief moment his first trainer battle popped into his head, with Awkward Guy and his clumsy narration, and Jason felt momentarily bolstered by how far he, and his team, had come.

The Mr. Mime closed in on Nidorino for a Double-slap, but only two of them hit before Nidorino leapt away, sticking to Jason's order of "Poison Sting!" on the Slowbro. The attack hit target (Jason was seriously starting to doubt Slowbros were even capable of dodging by this point) but it didn't seem to do much. However, a moment after Nidorino scampered away to avoid being too close to its last target, the Slowbro let out a low, long belch and adopted an unhappy, somewhat ill expression. Jason assumed that meant it was poisoned. Either that or it had really bad indigestion.

The Mr. Mime looked like it was going to close in on Eevee again, but Sandshrew dove in front of the puppy and blasted Mr. Mime's barrier with Sand-Attack again. The sand and dirt gave popping, hissing little sounds as it met the energy field and was deflected or burned away, but Jason could see gaps and weak spots where the debris was actually penetrating the other Pokémon's defenses.

Jason was torn between attacking the Mr. Mime and capitalizing on the barrier's weakness or trying for the Slowbro again, but Amaris made that decision for him. Eevee barreled wildly at the Slowbro, head down, and struck it hard with what looked like Take Down. Eevee hit it so hard that Jason knew the dog had sustained at least some damage from the hit, but the off-kilter and poisoned Slowbro took the strike much, much harder. It hiccupped sadly and groaned, then rolled over on its side, apparently done with this battle. That just left one.

The Mr. Mime sent out a wave of Confusion energy at their team, but all three were able to dodge out of the way as the partially-blinded Psychic-type flailed about, trying to clear its eyes. Sandshrew leapt forward and slashed at the barrier, which audibly cracked around waist-level, and Eevee darted into place and landed a successful Bite to the Mr. Mime's leg, holding it in place. Jason delivered the coup de grâce with Double-kick, Nidorino flying forward and shattering the rest of the barrier with the first kick, then pummeling its opponent with the other four hits. The mime went down with a strangely heavy thud and Jason almost went down with it, exhausted to his core.

"Well done!" the Mr. Mime's trainer said, definitely the most graceful loser of the lot. The Slowbro's trainer was already looking like he wanted to be off napping somewhere, and the Hypno's trainer was still glued to whatever was so interesting on his phone. "You'd better heal up a bit before you challenge the next group."

"Uh... yeah," Jason said, feeling dazed and unable to communicate properly. "Sure. Thanks." Their defeated opponents actually turned as one and headed to a tele-warp tile in the far left corner of the room, warping away and leaving the teens to regroup alone. Jason was extremely grateful for that, as all he wanted to do right now was sit down forever.

"That… was unreasonably difficult," Gina said, leaning over and resting her hands on her knees. Her braid trailed over her shoulder and almost brushed against the ground.

"No freaking kidding. Jesus. I can see why people don't… usually skip to this Gym. Save it for one of the last." Jason groaned and gave Nidorino another spray of Potion to top off its health.

"And these are only WC's junior trainers. I mean, seriously! This is insane!"

"I'm not certain we will be able to reach him this way," Amaris remarked, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. He looked unruffled, but Jason could see that he'd been sweating as much as they'd just been from the way his hair clung to his temples. "The others must be struggling as much as we are, if not more."

"Man," Gina said, finally straightening up. "I might have to start using Charmeleon after all," she said, sounding uncertain. "Pidgeot won't be able to dodge psychic attacks like that very well." She yanked out her Dex and hit a button, then held it up to her ear. Jason assumed she'd punched in Gav's speed-dial. They'd determined their phones would only be used if a problem came up, but Jason figured "we might not be strong enough to even reach the Gym Leader" sufficed as a problem. He took a moment to stretch his wobbly legs and scrubbed his hand through his hair. Gina frowned a moment later and looked at her Dex, then held it to her ear again. Jason recognized the universal body language of someone with technological difficulties.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I… don't have a signal," she said, tapping the side of her Dex with the heel of her hand. "But, it's not a normal low-reception thing. It's all… wonky."

"'Wonky?'" Amaris asked snidely, raising an eyebrow at her. "Is this your professional diagnosis?"

"I'll professionally diagnose your face," Gina snapped back at him, then turned to Jason. "Can you try to call him?"

"Oh," Jason said, cluing in that he should have offered that earlier. His brain was still scrambled from their skin-of-their-teeth victory. Jason's own Dex, however, wouldn't even turn on for a full minute and a half. By that point Amaris, too, had determined that his Dex was "acting up," and while he and Gina grumbled at one another over specific technological terminology, Jason struggled to get a text to send. His screen kept wavering, little gray lines passing through it quickly before clearing. It looked like Edith's old-fashioned television set struggling to establish a picture.

"Okay…" he said, getting to his feet and putting an end to Amaris and Gina's short little verbal sparring match. "Mine's weird too. Looks like we're on our own." He glanced at the three other tiles in the room, frowning. "I vote we just pick a tile and keep going. We're bound to find either WC, or one of the others, eventually."

"Alternately, we could lose our next battle and be escorted out," Amaris continued, shrugging and looking bored. "Either way it'll be fine. Let's move out."

Jason's eyelid twitched at Amaris' attempt to wrest the leadership from him, and to prove a point he marched decisively to the tile diagonal from their current one. Gina sighed, and she and Amaris joined him, each at one side of the square, facing in.

"Alright," Jason said, reaching out to both Amaris and Gina's shoulders. "Ready? One—"

"For crying out—" Amaris began, but Gina spoke loudly over him.

"Two—"

Jason pulled them forward onto the tile on "three" and braced himself for the cold, tingly sensation of teleportation. Even with all the times he had done this with his own Kadabra, it was something he never quite got used to.

For an alarming second the sound of Gina's shocked question—"_Amaris?_"—made Jason think that the other Initiate had been somehow injured. When he blinked around in his new surroundings, though, his left hand closing in on empty air, he realized what was wrong.

"Whoa, what?" Jason asked rhetorically, spinning around twice to search for him. "What?" he asked again, brows setting into a stern line, his skin prickling from the teleportation and from nerves.

"Where is he?" Gina asked, her voice edging on panic now. "Why would he not be here? We all went together!"

"Calm down," Jason said, reaching out to her shoulder to get her attention. "This—there's got to be an explanation for this." His heart was hammering, though, and he'd noticed something else deeply unnerving—this was one of the battle arenas, not one of the smaller rooms that only held warp-tiles, and yet it was completely abandoned save for them. There should have been a few Junior Trainers in here, but only flickering lights accompanied them. The effect was eerie.

"Okay," Gina said, taking a deep breath and putting her hand on Jason's, where it was still clutching her shoulder. Doing this seemed to ground her. "Okay. You're right. He's fine. We're fine."

"Yeah," he said encouragingly, but he dug out his Dex and tried to dial Amaris anyway. He wasn't surprised when it refused to even ring, but his stomach did sink. "Okay, here's what we'll do." He put his Dex away and dug out Kadabra's Pokéball, deploying him. "We'll just hop through these rooms our way, find Amaris, then look for the others."

"Okay," Gina said, back in control of herself. They both put their hands on Kadabra's back, and Jason tensed for the second teleportation in less than a minute.

All that happened, though, was Kadabra twitching a little, repositioning, and twitching again. Jason removed his hand and circled his Pokémon to stare into its face, worried all over again. Kadabra looked baffled and a little embarrassed, and gave Jason a look that showed how completely at a loss it was about this new development.

"Oh… kay," Gina said, running a hand through her hair absentmindedly and ruining the base of her braid in the process. "We're… being psychically detained." Though her voice was a lot calmer than it had been before, Jason could feel her anxiety matching his own. This was very, very bad.

Then something occurred to him and he let out a huge sigh of relief and slapped his palm to his forehead. "Oh, man! Okay, I know what this is."

"What?" Gina asked, though he was about to clarify.

"This is just their Gym's 'thing.' You know how Surge used to have Vermillion set up, yeah? With all those—" he forgot the word for "trash cans" and gestured spastically, making circles with his hands. Gina's face lit up with understanding and he continued. "Yeah, and it was almost impossible to even get in to battle him. That has to be what WC's got planned with all this. He's separating the groups so it'll be harder for us."

Even as he finished his statement, injecting as much confidence as he could into it, the uneasy tension filtered in between them again. This was a great working theory, and he hoped desperately that it was correct.

"Either way, we can't just stay here," Gina agreed, rubbing her face with her hands. "Okay. Let's get out of here. Maybe back the way we came," she suggested, staring down at the glowing tile to their left. "Amaris might have gone back once he realized we got separated."

"Yeah, okay," Jason said, figuring it couldn't hurt to try that. He couldn't say he was particularly broken up about the lack of snide commentary, but it was a better idea to keep their group as consolidated as possible. Gina and he grabbed each other's hand, exchanged a nervous look, and stepped back onto the tile.

When Jason wound up not only in a completely new room, but also completely alone, whatever was left of his confidence vanished. _Shit_. He whipped out his Dex, knowing it was no use even as he tried to call Gina. _Double shit_. Kadabra was out in another second, and apparently a change of scenery did not cure him of his inability to teleport. _And triple shit._

It was time to throw caution to the wind. Jason navigated to a sketch pad on his Dex and quickly scored the screen with little tic-tac-toe boxes. He glanced around the room, chose a tile, and walked to it. "Kay, buddy," he said to Kadabra, adding a dot in the corresponding corner in his first square—his new-age breadcrumb trail. "We're gonna blast through as many rooms as possible. Every time I let you out, keep trying to teleport, okay?" His Pokémon nodded, and Jason took a deep breath, recalled him, and jumped forward onto the next tile.


	27. Leagues of Them :Blake:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 27: Leagues of Them

(Blake Nakawa)

Backburner Blake wondered if he was the first one to figure out that Saffron Gym was corrupt.

He'd been among the last to enter the Gym, teamed up with Orion, and everything had been going mind-numbingly according to plan. He had tuned out the long speech given to them by the woman in the lobby, but hadn't been able to stop a quick glance at Orion during one part of the disclaimers. "If you've ever experienced an adverse health reaction due to psychic type energy, please see our HR department now."

If this was something Orion felt worried about, though, he didn't show it. Blake wondered if he'd be the next one punched in the face if Orion got too close to a poorly-aimed Confusion attack.

Turns out friendly fire from Orion's fists was the least of his worries, however. The moment he'd stepped forward onto that first tile he'd found himself separated from Orion and face-to-face with Zeke.

"There you are," Zeke said, his tone light and conversational. It was as if Blake was merely running a few minutes behind schedule for afternoon tea. "I was wondering when you'd pop up."

Blake said nothing, keeping his expression a careful mask. He knew enough about his half-brother to realize that even an ill-timed nose twitch could set him off. Blake even ran the risk of incensing Zeke through his silence, which could be seen as rude, but he figured it was still the safest option as of now.

It didn't seem to matter, anyway, since Zeke was apparently in a monologuing mood. "I'll keep this brief," he told Blake, which that told him that this would almost certainly not be a brief exchange. "I want you to stay away from my business. I'd rather not hurt you, but you aren't even a blood Nakawa, so if it comes down to it I will. Just realize that none of this concerns you in the slightest and run away home."

It was off-putting, mainly because it sounded almost normal. Granted, there was still a threat of bodily injury packed into that statement, but Zeke seemed to be in one of his less-psychotic moods today. Blake couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or not, but as he weighed possible responses in his head he looked around at the small room he'd been taken to, searching for some kind of brilliant plan.

The room was bigger than the tiny lobby had been, but not by much. It was heart-breakingly standard and stripped bare—it only contained four walls, one tele-warp pad (the one Blake had come through on appeared to be gone), and one deranged relative blocking Blake from getting to the functional pad.

Escape in the traditional means was out of the question, so Blake turned his attention instead to Zeke, trying to determine the best course of action. He had next to no experience with his brother, but in the aftermath of Lavender Town he'd demanded snippets of information from Zahlia, painfully extracted over time. One thing she mentioned to him stood out now. _Zeke is frightening when he's angry, but he's never more dangerous than when he's completely calm. It seems counter-intuitive, but if you can get under his skin and rile him up, you have a chance. It gives you more power in the situation, and you might be able to manipulate him then._

Yeah, that _did_ seem remarkably counter-intuitive, and also vaguely suicidal. Still, Blake knew that, on this particular subject, it was wisest to defer to his sister's judgment. He chose his words carefully and toed out into the dark waters.

"... Do you really feel it's a good idea to just let me walk away?" Blake asked, trying to match the casual tone Zeke was using. "I mean, given all the things I know?"

Zeke frowned at him, clearly starting to think Blake was as crazy as he felt right now. After a pause he asked, "What are you, an idiot? Are you actually arguing _against_ your freedom?"

_So it would seem_, Blake thought to himself bleakly, starting to have serious second thoughts. There was no going back now, though.

He tried to mold his features into something vaguely disappointed or ashamed. He had no idea if he was achieving this or merely looking like he had bad gas. "Zahlia says I should just go 'home' too," he said, inflecting Zahlia's name and the word 'home' with a hint of moody petulance. "She says this is all too dangerous. And that I wouldn't understand. She doesn't tell me anything."

Blake looked up at Zeke to see how this was going over. At first glance Zeke seemed to be giving him a "why the hell are you talking to me like I care?" expression, but Blake took encouragement from the fact that he wasn't interrupting him. On some level he must like hearing that Blake was being excluded. _So far so good._

"I know I'm not a blood Nakawa, like you said. But I'm not useless. I want to know the truth about what's going on in this family. I want to make up my own mind about things instead of being spoon-fed or told to stay out of it." This part wasn't a lie—all of these things were Blake's honest-to-God desires, and he realized what he wanted as he finished speaking. Escaping from the psycho would be great—but getting answers, or any kind of information from him first, would be even better.

Zeke smirked at him and huffed a laugh at Blake's appeal. "That's nice," he said, tilting his head to the side. "But what, pray tell, gives you the impression that I'll be giving you _any_ of that?"

It was a fair question, and to be frank, Blake was stumped as to the answer. Instead he tried to add to his former arguing point.

"I just—you don't like me because I'm only your half-brother. Right?" Instead of waiting for a reply he barreled on. "I don't see why that should matter. My dad doesn't understand me. And mom—"

And there it was. Zeke's face broke into a feral snarl and he spat out, "_Don't talk to me about that faithless traitor!_ That sorry excuse for a woman ran off and abandoned her _true_ husband and children!"

For one of the first times in years Blake felt a real surge of hot, pure anger, but kept it off his face entirely. He might be crap at faking emotions he wasn't currently feeling, but hiding the ones he did feel was second-nature to him. It must have been a trait Zahlia and he got from their mother—the mother Zeke was now raining verbal slights upon.

"You are _insane_ if you think your half-blood, scrawny ass has a place in our family. You will _never_ be one of us."

_Thank God_, Blake thought venomously, but instead he let some of the anger leak through on his features, spinning it instead into a look of offense. "You don't know anything about me!" Blake said, raising his voice too since Zeke seemed dead-set on shouting now. "If a bunch of kids can pose a threat to you—enough of a threat that you feel the need to tell me to screw off and stay out of your business—you _need_ me, and Zahlia. You need all the help you can get, and like it or not, I'm _family_ and that's the only reason why I'm trying so hard to understand you, and what the hell you're doing, and whether or not I have a part in it."

It was his best argument yet, and that was why Blake's stomach dropped when Zeke's expression of hot anger morphed into one of cold amusement instead.

"Cute. We don't need your help, thanks. We've got our own allies—_leagues_ of them, you could say."

Blake's insides froze the same way Zeke's tone just had. _No effing way._

Zeke seemed to properly read the blank look of shock on Blake's face, because a wicked, satisfied smile came to his. "That's right. So you can drop your little 'I want to help you!' act. Though, I have to admit, you're a passably good liar. You must have gotten that from your mother."

Blake's nerves, already taut to the point of snapping from Zeke's last bombshell, strummed even more painfully at his brother's second jab at their mother. No longer bothering to hide the disdain on his face, Blake instead ran floor plans, footsteps, and countdowns in his head.

"Unlike your mother, though—you're smart. You know this is already over."

At the word "over" Blake was charging. Grumpy was deployed before Zeke could start his next sentence, the element of surprise earning him Zeke's shocked, furious face as he got a full-frontal Tackle from a Pidgeotto. Blake reached out and shoved Zeke as hard as he could, and the Pokémon and two boys spilled forward together onto the warp-tile and vanished.

* * *

_((Author's Note: Short chapter, but an important one. FF doesn't seem to like hyperlinks, so if you're interested in seeing some of the art for this story, check out my deviantart account at: .com ))_


	28. Jumping to Conclusions :Kaylee:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 28: Jumping to Conclusions

(Kaylee Harrison)

Kaylee supposed if anyone deserved to find Whittaker-Cheng first, it would be her or Gav. This whole thing had started off with them, after all—it only made sense that one of the Harrison siblings should reach their greatest potential ally first.

Nevertheless, when Kaylee warped into the enormous Gym Leader battle arena, all she felt was small and hopelessly inadequate.

The room was opulent and high-tech at the same time. There were a series of steps that lead up to a platform where, it appeared, the Gym Leader would sit like a king in a throne room. The walls were gold, and Kaylee, already feeling hot and exerted from her Junior Trainer battle and close proximity to a number of Fire-type attacks, was already sweltering in here. Three Alakazam were out, two of which were positioned at either end of the steps, like palace guards stationed at their posts, and one appeared to be in deep meditation off in one corner of the room. A number of tele-warp pads glowed along the outskirts of the room, the eerie blue-green light casting decadent reflections off the room's gold sheen.

By comparison, Whittaker-Cheng looked downright ordinary. He was in his 30s or so and his black hair looked like it hadn't been brushed that morning. He was in a plain white t-shirt, khaki cargo pants, and open-toed sandals. He wore black-framed glasses. Kaylee had somehow thought he'd look more impressive or imposing in real life versus in his pictures in the paper. He wasn't even up at his pedestal, but was lounging around on the bottom step, one leg crossed over the other.

Kaylee's pre-canned speech about how she didn't actually want a battle, but to secure an audience with him to discuss a serious matter, died on its way out of her throat. Whittaker-Cheng watched her with interest as she dropped her bag to the ground, feeling brilliantly red in the face, and messily yanked out the packet of discs from underneath her slew of Super Potions and other Pokémon supplies. When she had their research in hand, a tangible, heavy reminder of the reality of this situation, she managed to finally get words out.

"Sir—if it's alright, I have something to discuss with you, rather than the standard leader battle. I realize you're very busy, but this was the only way we could figure out how to reach you without drawing attention."

"Man," Whittaker-Cheng said, standing up and letting out a soft sigh that seemed to belie feeling older than 30. "You guys really _are_ just kids, aren't you?"

"Uh—" Kaylee began, at first thinking that Whittaker-Cheng had merely pegged her as a teen with some kind of cause. Maybe people did this to him a lot and he was getting tired of it. "I'm sorry. If I could just have a moment—"

"No no, it's fine. You don't have to go on—I know who you are."

For a moment Kaylee's mind desperately clung to an irrational shred of hope—he knew who she was because Gav, or one of the others, had reached him first and already explained everything. He knew who she was because she looked like Ando Harrison's kid and he'd heard of her and her brother's existence before. He knew because he was psychic or some crap.

The little flash of denial died like a spark flung into water. Almost immediately Kaylee knew the real answer.

"Look—I know this is going to be really upsetting to you. I completely understand what a terrible situation you and your friends are in right now. You really went out on a limb, coming here to me, and I'm happy you did. It was the right thing to do." Kaylee just watched him in a daze. "Listen, I want to help you all. Really, I do. So, I'm going to tell you what your options are, and give you a choice. It's the best thing anyone can do for you at this point."

Kaylee's heart was flying in her chest, and she felt backwards with her foot, no longer even remotely concerned with looking subtle in her attempt to escape. Whittaker-Cheng noticed immediately and shook his head.

"I've been controlling the warp tiles. It's no use heading back the way you came. Just hear me out, okay?" I know you're freaked out right now."

Kaylee fought the irrational urge to laugh. Whittaker-Cheng must have seen it, because he offered her a sympathetic, commiserating smile. It made her feel even more like she was adrift in the Twilight Zone.

"The bottom line is, your research is really pretty impressive—or, I assume it's impressive. Judging by your track record so far, you had the opportunity to get your hands on a number of pretty high-end files." Whittaker-Cheng moved a little closer to the center of the room, but Kaylee noted he was moving diagonally towards her, not in a beeline. She was vaguely reminded of techniques for approaching Pokémon in the wild. A trainer was advised to always sidle up to a Wild they wanted to capture, versus walking straight towards it and run the risk of startling it. "You obviously have a lot of questions, and are trying to piece together the answers yourself. You might even think you have some answers already, based on what you've seen. I want to tell you right now that, whatever you're thinking, you're jumping to conclusions."

Kaylee seriously doubted this, but for now staying silent seemed like the best option. Whittaker-Cheng seemed to take her lack of response as interest, or at least respect, and continued on.

"So, those options I told you about. Obviously we can't go into everything right now. But the way I see it, and the way my associates see it, you've got three ways you could go. One, you join us, since you've obviously proven your merits, regardless of your age. As I said before, it's very impressive what you've uncovered so far. Your second option is to go back on the run, but I say this out of concern for you and your friends, and with utmost confidence; you will be caught, sooner rather than later, if you do this." Kaylee felt a dull thrill of horror tugging in the soles of her feet and a buzzing start in her ears. This was the feeling she'd get in the aftermath of Brock's death, waking up from a night-terror, drenched in cold sweat, when all she could think was _this can't possibly be real. _"Your third option is to continue on the way you are, trying to get more information, trying to make contacts, and digging yourself in even deeper. You've crossed some of the wrong people already, but it's not too late. However, if you keep it up much longer... not even someone with my clout will be able to help you. Understand?"

Kaylee wanted to scream at him. She wanted to throw her research at his head and shout _no, no I don't understand, we were supposed to be able to trust you, you were supposed to help us. _The helplessness she felt soon morphed into a wild, frenetic energy, the need to move and move _now, _to take action and gain some semblance of control in this nightmare.

"No one wants to hurt any of you. I mean, you're kids. That would be so screwed up." Whittaker-Cheng shook his head, brow furrowed, like what he was saying was the most reasonable thing in the world. Kaylee almost wished he would just rattle off an elaborate plan to take over the world, complete with maniacal laughter and moustache-twirling. Whittaker-Cheng was talking like he was a good guy here, and that was because he must truly think he was. Kaylee had no idea if his ideals were just warped, or if he was being kept in the dark about just what was going on with Silph and whoever else was involved. As direly as she wished she could determine the answer to that, she knew that was not a good idea anymore. She needed an out.

Whittaker-Cheng seemed to realize she was still not in the mood to talk, so he went on. "No one wants you kids mixed up in anything dangerous. If you just agree to cooperate, and stop your solo work, we can assure the safety of you, your friends, and family. It's really the best offer you're going to get. No one will take anything out on you. That's a promise."

He really was a politician. Kaylee found a part of her, that base, instinctive part that responded to tone and body language, really wanting to trust him. He seemed so calm, understanding and in control. His previously unimpressive appearance now hardly mattered. With that kind of gift of gab Whittaker-Cheng didn't need any bells and whistles, didn't need to be perched on his throne at the back of the Leader Arena.

"Okay," Kaylee said, sensing the need to say something at this point. "I don't really know what to say."

Whittaker-Cheng nodded to her, still looking absolutely patient and compassionate. "Totally understandable. I know this isn't what you expected when you battled your way here to see me. Do you have any questions? I'll try to answer them, if I can."

It was such a kind gesture, and one that she was sorely tempted to take him up on. Of course she had questions—that was why they were freaking _there_ in the first place, to get the answers to their questions.

Instead Kaylee went with an impulse and deployed her stronger Growlithe. Before it was even done forming from its red light she shouted out, "Flamethrower!" jabbing her finger in the direction of the meditating Alakazam in the corner. Her Growlithe, ready as ever for a scrap, leapt forward and let loose a torrent of flames that made the gold-plated room feel even more like the inside of an oven.

Whittaker-Cheng actually put his arms up in the air in a spastic motion and ducked, even though he wasn't in the line of fire. For a Gym Leader, he certainly wasn't prepared for impromptu assaults. "Whoa!" he said, giving the corner with the Alakazam a double-take, gaze darting between there and Kaylee. "That was completely unnecessary!"

Kaylee couldn't be bothered with his sputtering protests though; a horrible, glaring downside of her plan to get the element of surprise was now apparent. The Alakazam had been controlling the tele-warp pads, so it seemed—every single pad had now faded from the floor around her. _Oh god, I'm stuck, _she thought dimly, as Growlithe growled and lowered itself defensively in front of her. The slightly-charred Alakazam moved forward in a battle stance.

"No no, stand down," Whittaker-Cheng said to his affronted Pokémon, still giving Kaylee a look like she was more than a little unhinged. He almost looked a little sad that this had been her course of action. "Teenagers are so dramatic," he grumbled, but before Kaylee could decide what else to do to solidify his opinion, Jason appeared three feet in front of her with his Kadabra.

Jason spun around wildly, took in their surroundings, saw Whittaker-Cheng, and deduced the situation with remarkable speed. "Oh shit," he said, and Kaylee was already recalling her Growlithe as Jason reached out to grab her arm.

"Guys—" Whittaker-Cheng said with a long-suffering sigh in his voice, like they were being a huge inconvenience and this could all be avoided. Kaylee didn't hear his next argument. She and Jason warped away, and after a series of two hops she found herself on all fours, head spinning, at Gav's feet in the forest.

Gav hauled her upright and peered into her face. "Kay," he said, his voice alive with a sharp, harried edge. "Are you okay?"

"Uh," Kaylee said, trying to get herself oriented and less dizzy from the rapid jumps. "WC is—he's a no go, he's out. He's—"

"With the bad guys, yeah," Jason said, leaning down and resting his arms on his knees, also looking like he was having some teleportation sickness. "We know."

For the first time Kaylee was able to notice that Jason's arms and face were covered in little burns and cuts. She quickly deduced he wasn't in life-threatening danger, but he glanced up at her and shook his head, looking grim. "I was jumping from room to room, trying to find Gina and Amaris—we got separated—and there were people waiting for me. Like, not Junior Trainers with Psychic-types... these people were trying to capture us. The whole place is rigged."

"You were able to use Kadabra, though," Kaylee pointed out, brow furrowing. "Could you have just teleported earlier—"

"Naw," Jason said, straightening up and lifting his shoulder with a cringe. "Kadabra didn't work until like, thirty seconds before I found you. Something must have happened to drop the psychic barriers that were detaining us and stopping him from using Teleport."

"Oh," Kaylee said, flashing to the Alakazam in the corner and the tiles vanishing on the floors. "Oh, I think that must have been me. I sort of blasted WC's Alakazam in the face with fire. It looked like it was meditating, so..."

"Brilliant!" Jason said, grinning. "Good move, thanks for that."

Amaris appeared in the clearing with them a second later, Gina and Beth in tow. Kaylee leapt about a foot in the air, nerves still raw, but she and Beth ran forward into a hug just as Jason and Gina did.

"Jesus!" Gina said, looking Jason over and cringing at his battle wounds. "What happened to you?"

"The place is a trap," Jason said, and Gina said over the end of his sentence, "no kidding."

"Victoria's still in there somewhere," Beth said to Gav, who nodded.

"Kadabra is on it." He glanced at Amaris, who motioned to his own Kadabra as well. Kaylee hadn't even noticed that Jason's Pokémon had already teleported away in search of their missing friends.

While they waited, tense and fidgety, Kaylee pieced together the rest of the stories. Beth and Victoria has defeated a Junior Trainer pair, then been separated on the next tele-warp pad. The same thing had happened after Gina, Amaris and Jason beat their three Junior Trainers. Since Kaylee had been traveling solo she hadn't noticed that the pads were systematically splitting up their teams.

"So, what did WC actually... Say to you?" Jason ventured.

Kaylee shook her head. "He was... really reasonable. Tried to convince me to get us all to, uh, join him. Them. So we wouldn't get hurt in the end."

Jason let out a low whistle and Gina sat down heavily on the ground. "I can't believe this. I had no idea how far-reaching this... group, was. So they've got a Gym Leader on their side."

It was into a grim group of teens that Victoria and Zahlia phased. Each of the Kadabras stayed only long enough to ascertain that their charges were secure, then vanished once more. Now all they needed were Blake and Orion, and this knowledge was starting to weigh heavily on the faces of their siblings.

"C'mon..." Jason muttered to himself, eyes somewhere to the south as if he could see through the miles and give Orion psychic directions. "We gotta get out of here..."

Victoria was getting filled in on the situation by Beth and Gina, and Zahlia was alternating between listening to the recap and staring in the direction Jason was. Kaylee sat down, cross-legged, and cracked each of her ten toes, starting from the big toe and heading out towards the pinkies. Each second that ticked by without Orion and Blake wound the tangle of alive, writhing fear inside her tighter. Gav was markedly silent throughout all the proceedings.

Blake appeared about thirty seconds later, and Zahlia reached out to secure him. Kaylee only caught the second part of what he said. "—is freaking hopeless, is everyone here? We have to go, like, yesterday.

"What happened?" Zahlia asked, and Jason moved over to him and asked, "Did you see Orion?"

"No, but I saw Zeke," Blake said, his eyes wide and his brow set in almost an angry looking expression that Kaylee recognized as his version of fear and stress. Zahlia visibly flinched at the name and Blake barreled on. "He as much as flat-out told me that they have help from the Pokémon League. And I'm assuming Whittaker-Cheng is in on this whole crap since they were using his Gym to trap us."

"Yeah, he's in on it," Kaylee supplied, but Blake's earlier sentence had just sunken in. "Wait, _what?_"

Gina joined her in the, "What? Pokémon League? Wait, back up—"

"You didn't see Orion," Jason said, more to himself as a confirmation than restating his question. He tapped his foot edgily and looked off to the woods, and Kaylee joined him. Both Kadabra were now off and looking for him, so it had to be only a matter of time before they recovered him and could book it away from here.

Both Kadabras returned, almost simultaneously, and the first thing Kaylee noticed was that neither of them had Orion. The second thing was that both looked extremely shocked to be in the woods. Jason ran over to his Kadabra and started muttering questions at it, while Gav and Amaris headed over to the other. Gav was starting to look distinctly ashen now.

"This is... guys, we need to have a team meeting," Gav said, rubbing his hands over his face and muttering a curse under his breath. Jason was staunchly ignoring him, and Kaylee spoke up with what Jason would be saying if he wasn't interrogating his Kadabra.

"Team meeting later, finding Orion first," she said, heading over to Amaris' Kadabra and looking at the redhead. "Send him back, yeah?"

"I doubt it will work," Amaris said, his voice calm but his face harsh and tense. "Kadabra wouldn't return here like this unless something was wrong."

"Then let's go with them, and see what happened," Kaylee said, and Jason nodded.

"That's a great idea. I'm gonna go now," he said, and Kaylee leapt over to stand next to him.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Amaris reiterated, raising his voice. "There's something seriously wrong—"

"Yeah, no shit, my brother is still in that madhouse, look, I'll be right back with Orion—"

"I'm going with you," Kaylee interrupted, grabbing hold of part of Jason's Kadabra while Gav raised his voice over theirs.

"Jason, Kaylee! Wait, you need to hear this—do _not_—"

"Ready?" Jason asked Kaylee, tuning out her brother as expertly as she was now.

"Yeah, let's just get this over with."

Gav was leaping forward at them when they teleported, but before Kaylee could register shock at this action they were staring at the back of a little house with a sizable yard and some really awful modern art sculptures.

"... What the _what?_" Jason demanded, messily yanking out his Dex. He dropped it on the ground, picked it up, and called up the GPS.

"We're like, nowhere near the Gym district," he ascertained a moment later, his brow furrowed deep. To Kadabra he said, "Buddy, I want you to take us to the Gym. Okay?"

Kadabra was looking deeply distressed and at a loss, and Kaylee hesitated before reaching out to the Psychic-type. "Jason—I don't know if it's gonna—" Jason reached out and grabbed her hand before she could finish though, and then they were gone again.

This time they were in the middle of what looked like a park. A number of trainers walking their Vulpix or Eevee jumped at their sudden appearance.

"What?" Jason asked, looking absolutely flabbergasted. His Kadabra actually did a face-palm at their surroundings, and finally Jason seemed to realize this was not his Kadabra failing to follow orders or navigate correctly. He kneeled down in front of his Pokemon and put both hands on its shoulders. "What's the matter?" Kadabra gave him a helpless shrug and Kaylee felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Seeing that it was Gav, she picked up and braced for a tongue-lashing, though she hoped he was calling with the news that Orion had arrived.

"_Get back here, now_," Gav demanded, talking over her attempt to say something. "You will not be able to get back to the Gym that way, it's clear the teleportation is acting up. They probably have the whole Gym grid blocked off psychically. And I need to give something to Jason." Kaylee was going to speak during his pause, but the sheer randomness of his last sentence stopped her short. In her silence Gav said, "Tell him... tell him his father gave it to me, for him. Now, come back to the clearing, stat."

* * *

_((Author's Note: MAN FF really hates hyperlinks, like, a lot. If you go to deviant art and search "Gina Charmander" you'll see line art I made pop up... then you can click on my username, HeleneAlexandra, and get to the rest of my gallery. EESH. Here's my final attempt at disguising the link... helenealexandra dot deviantart dot com.))_


	29. Stalemate :Jason:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 29: Stalemate

(Jason Fremont)

Jason rounded on Gav the moment Kaylee and he were back in the field. His gait was a little wobbly as he strode to the older Harrison sibling, his legs not wanting to hold him up after so many rapid teleportation hops, but he managed to stagger over, eyes searching his face for answers.

"My dad did what now?" he asked, and Gav held out a scrap of paper to him at once, thankfully not reprimanding Kaylee and him for running off before he cut to the chase.

"When I hit the first tele-warp pad to my next room, your dad was there." Jason took the paper, not even looking down at it yet as his eyes were still glued on Gav's face while he explained. "He didn't do anything—just gave me that phone number and said 'when you figure it out, have my kid call this number.'"

"Oh god," Kaylee said, putting a hand up over her face and staring at Gav like he'd emerged unscathed from a wildfire. "He didn't try to hurt you or anything? What did you even _do_ after that?"

Jason was staring down at the messily-scrawled number on the paper, and Gav explained. "I didn't even get a chance to do anything other than take the paper before he tele-warped away. I thought about trying to retreat, but... I don't know, against my better judgment I tried to follow him. It didn't take me to wherever he went, though... the warp tiles must have been screwed up already by that point. I wound up in a room of Junior Trainers who started to attack me, but Jason and Kadabra got me out of there soon thereafter."

"Are you gonna call the number?" Gina asked, moving over to Jason's side, and he looked up at her, at a loss.

"I guess I have to. Orion's still in there and... I don't know, maybe dad can tell us what's going on."

Amaris snorted. "I wouldn't bet on that," he said critically, but Gina spoke up quickly after him.

"No, that's probably exactly what he's gonna do. I mean, he told us to call the number when... what, when we 'figured it out'? He needs to tell us—or tell Jason, at least—something. I think we should do it."

"Fine, go," Gav said, crossing his arms not in an angry way, but more like he was trying to constrain himself from moving around in some kind of random, impulsive way. "We don't really have any other options with the Gym sector blocked off this way."

Jason felt a cold sludge slow down his motions as he pulled his Dex out of his pocket, paper in one hand and device in the other. The hesitation could have easily stretched out into a flat-out refusal to act, but the idea of his brother still lost in the Gym somewhere, surrounded by enemies, got his creaky digits to behave long enough to punch the number in. He hit "send" before he could chicken out and held the Dex up to his ear.

It rang once before the call went through, and that one ring hadn't been enough to prepare him for this moment. In reality a thousand rings wouldn't have been enough time.

"Jason?" a gruff voice asked from the other end of the line, and Jason's voice got stuck on its way out of his throat.

He coughed and said, "Yeah. Where's my brother?" He tried to inject as much confidence and threat into those words as he could, trying to steer this conversation the way he wanted.

There was a slight, wry chuckle. "You've got backbone. I'm happy to hear that." Jason's head reeled as his father's voice truly washed over him in full. It was a vacuum-suction feeling of all the comfort and safety of his previous world being drained out of his center. Hearing his father speak for the first time since early childhood, a murky time Jason could barely recall, was the most exceptionally surreal thing he'd experienced since breaking and entering into the place where he lived. "Your brother is fine. If you're smart, you won't come back here."

Jason opened his mouth to say something, but to his horror, absolutely nothing occurred to him. Fremont seemed to take this as a sign of acceptance, because a second later he disconnected the call. A rush of heat and shock flushed across Jason's face and he frantically hit "redial" on his Dex to try to get through to him again.

"What happened?" Kaylee asked, her eyes wide. "That was the shortest conversation ever. Where's Orion?"

"He hung up. He said—Orion's fine, and not to come back there. If we're smart. I'm redialing." The words were tumbling out of Jason's mouth in whatever order they pleased, and with a slightly shaking hand he lifted the Dex to his ear again. Three shrill beeps sounded before an automated voice said, "We're sorry. Your call could not be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again."

"Dammit!" Jason shouted at the Dex, fighting the overwhelming urge to throw it. He redialed again and was rewarded with the same hatefully calm electronic voice message.

"That's all he said?" Gav prompted, and Jason snapped at him.

"Yes! That's all he said, and then he freaking hung up on me and now the number's out of service, here—" he shoved the Dex at Gav. "You can try and see for yourself." With that Jason stormed off through the woods, intent on walking his ass back into the psychically-blocked Gym district and dragging his brother out of there by force. He heard talking and confusion behind him, then people crashing through the tall weeds after him, but ignored them.

"Jason!" It was Gina, and Jason ground his teeth together, his face feeling too hot and his pulse too quick to deal with her right now. He didn't turn around or acknowledge her in any way, merely stomping his way back towards Saffron, and a moment later her hand was on his shoulder.

He threw it off and turned to face her like an incensed scorpion. "What?"

"Jason—you can't just—walk back there like this. You're going to be hopelessly overpowered. Almost the entire Gym seems like they're in on this, and we've only got us—"

"I know that, you don't think I know that?" Jason demanded. "But what else do we do? Just let them keep Orion there? Hell no, he wouldn't do that if it were one of us." To his horror Jason felt a prickling in his throat and his eyes and blinked furiously to keep it at bay. "We can't leave him there, with _dad_."

The last word was punched with enough spite and resentment to stop Gina mid-sentence, and the look on her face as she comprehended what, precisely, he was going through caused Jason so much discomfort that he turned away from her and started stalking off towards the Gym district again.

This time it was Amaris who caught up to him. "Fremont, don't be an idiot—"

"_Don't call me that_," Jason snapped, not even turning around to give Amaris the time of day. Amaris grabbed his shoulder, a lot harder than Gina had, and forcibly turned him around.

"Fine, _Jason_, don't be an idiot. Gina's right. You'll be hopelessly overpowered there and what's more, you'll get captured. Your father could very well be holding Orion to bait you to come after him, which is _precisely _what you're doing."

"_No shit_, he knows I won't leave him there," Jason said, tuning out most of what Amaris was saying, his brain fiercely firing on strange synapses.

"_Exactly what I'm saying_. You're playing right into his hands. You'll be captured and then the rest of us will have to figure out a way to not only get Orion back, but _you _as well. You are being extremely short-sighted right now and are endangering not only yourself, but all of the rest of us as well. Do you not _see _that?"

Jason told him in very strong wording to mind his own business and Amaris' grip tightened around his shoulders. "You might be okay with throwing the rest of us into this mess, but I beg to differ."

"Guys," Gina said, her voice strained and quiet, but managing to get both of their attentions. "Come on. Let's go back to the others and talk about this as a group. I don't want to leave Orion either. Obviously." Her voice choked off a little at the last word, her eyes alive with unshed tears that caused Jason's own close scrape with emotion to flare up again ferociously. "But whatever we do, we do it together, as a team. Come on."

Jason swallowed so hard it hurt and remained where he was, poised between his friends and his brother, and after a long moment Amaris let go of his shoulders and took a deliberate step back, letting him choose. This action broke through Jason's frustration and anger, and after letting out a terse, short sigh, he walked back with the other Initiates to the group in the field.

Blake was explaining more about his encounter with Zeke when the three got back, and the youngest Nakawa looked up at Jason with a tentative expression, like he was suddenly going to start screaming and sucker-punching everyone in vicinity. He looked away from him and back to Gav, who he had been speaking to earlier.

"I don't know why he told me that clue, about the League. If that's what it was. It felt more like a taunt. It's like he thought this was all funny." He paused and looked back at Jason, addressing him with his last line. "He clearly doesn't consider us a threat at all."

"I _know_, we're outnumbered," Jason groused, sitting down and immediately deciding he was too agitated to sit. He got back to his feet at once and Blake looked like he actually flinched a little from Jason's sudden movement. This annoyed Jason even more and he moved to the outskirts of the group to put some distance between himself and the others.

"I don't know why Zeke told you that, either. If he knew you had no intention of actually joining him, he basically just gave us a huge piece of information... what, for kicks?" Beth asked, shaking her head. "It makes no sense."

"We need to get Orion out," Gav said, and Jason could have hugged him if he hadn't been in such a towering bad temper. It was the first thing anyone had said all day that he agreed with wholeheartedly. "But we can't do it right now, not when they're on red alert and are expecting us."

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but Kaylee cut him off. "We can't just _leave_ him there, who knows what the hell they'll do to him?" Her voice was a little shrill on the last few words and she cleared her throat, looking simultaneously mutinous and embarrassed at the display of raw emotion. Jason's heart went out to her, as she was voicing his exact sentiments.

"I understand," Gav said. "This is just about the worst situation we could be in. No one wants Orion to be at their mercy for any longer than he has to be."

"Just—" Jason said, frustration rearing its ugly head again. "Stop politicizing at us, we know the situation sucks, you know it sucks. What are we going to _do _about it?"

"Jason, please—" Gav said, an edge finally emerging from his doggedly calm composure. "Just sit down and calm down. This isn't helping at all. I know how you feel—"

"Yeah, right," Jason snapped. "Kaylee's sitting right there, she's fine. You don't know how I feel."

"Jason," Gina said, getting up and walking over to him. He glared at her, not wanting her compassion right now. He tried to walk away from her, skirting the circumference of the group, but she blocked him off. "Come on," she said, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. He blinked a few times, thrown off by this gesture, and in that moment of hesitation she was able to tug him down to sit beside her.

"We have to consider the fact that Fremont might have been genuinely warning us against returning to the Gym district," Amaris noted, rubbing his temples from where he was seated on the opposite end of their circle. "It might seem like an obvious ploy to get us to return for Orion, but he could also be genuinely telling us that returning is a bad idea."

"He did go out of his way to warn us on national television not to poison ourselves with the blue stuff," Victoria said, speaking up for one of the first times. "It's a possibility."

Jason remained quiet, his hand still feeling like a dead thing in Gina's, but Kaylee was once more channeling his brain and speaking on both of their behalves. "It doesn't really matter what Fremont wants or doesn't want us to do. We need to go back there because we need to get Orion."

"As admirable as your single-minded devotion is," Amaris began, and Kaylee cut off the rest of his sentence with "_Don't you dare start with me!_"

"Calm _down!_" Victoria snapped, and Amaris and Kaylee actually did. It seemed like no one really wanted to bite each other's heads off, but it was unavoidable.

Amaris seethed quietly and said, "I'm merely pointing out that the situation is much too complex to write off as an impromptu rescue mission. We are all in extreme danger right now."

Kaylee let that go unchallenged and stared off at the line of trees in the distance, surly and sullen. Jason was staring at a patch of grass, the sharp edges of his fear and anger starting to fade into a soul-crushing sense of helplessness and impotence. On some level he knew that Gav and Amaris were right. This wouldn't be solved by busting through the Gym doors, blasting anything they saw with Pokémon attacks and carrying Orion out over their heads. They were hopelessly overpowered, as had been pointed out time and time again, and a full siege of the Gym right now would only end in more of them getting captured or injured. Jason closed his eyes and replayed what his father had said to him in the shortest, least satisfying phone conversation he could ever imagine: _Your brother is fine. If you're smart, you won't come back here._

"We also have to consider the fact that selecting Orion may not have been arbitrary," Victoria said, her voice low and exhausted. "It could have been any of us, but Fremont seemed to know that the goal was to capture Orion. He gave Gav the phone number and said, 'when you figure it out, have my kid call this number.' Kid in the singular, not kids. Taking Orion was the plan from the beginning. It had to have been."

"_Why?_" Kaylee asked, her voice frustrated. "Why just Orion? Why not Jason too, if Fremont wanted to get his sons back or something?"

The silence in the clearing gave them the answer. They all knew why Orion might have been targeted and captured first and foremost.

"Okay, can we talk about the elephant in the room?" Beth asked, pressing her palms into her forehead. "We've all been really worried about him lately, with all his symptoms and the weird stuff Fremont is mixed up in. It seems really unlikely that Orion was somehow exposed to the stuff, but if he was, we're thinking that's why he was taken?"

"... I don't know," Gav said, glancing to Zahlia. She looked perhaps a little pained at being looked to for more information, as if she hadn't already told them everything she knew.

"It's possible that, when I refused to report back honestly about Orion and the signs he may or may not be showing, Zeke and my father decided it was time to take matters into their own hands."

"And Fremont was in the Gym—that has to mean he's _working _with Zeke and your father," Beth added, shaking her head and trying to keep things straight. "All this time I thought they asked you to tail and watch Orion because the Fremonts were... I don't know, a _threat _to them or something, but if they're _allies—_"

"It's really impossible to draw any conclusions with what little information we have right now," Victoria said. "We need a plan of action."

Jason had been fiddling with his Dex this whole time, staring at a text he tried to send to his brother not long ago. _Where are you? we'll come get you, give me coordinates. - J_

The message had gone unanswered, and Jason lifted his Dex to his ear and dialed his brother's speed-dial command impulsively. His motion got the attention of the group, and Kaylee asked, "Are you trying your dad's number again?" Jason didn't reply, but a moment later another automated message notified him that Orion's number was out of service.

"Orion's phone is down," he said, hanging up and tossing his Dex to the grass in front of him. He didn't realize he was still holding Gina's hand, and gave it a squeeze before extricating himself. She looked into his face, worry clear on hers, but he just faced the group and took a deep breath.

"What can we do, realistically?" he asked, hoping against hope that someone would be able to supply a passable answer to that question. Silence met his ears, and though he'd been expecting it, he closed his eyes and let out a ragged, harried sigh.

"Realistically?" Amaris restated, eyes staring off at a point in the distance, face unreadable. "One of our members is in enemy territory. Our teams are exhausted from battling our way through Saffron's Gym. The district is being psychically blocked off so we'd have to get there on foot. Once we got there we would be promptly defeated. Your father has told us Orion is safe, and that's the only intell we have to go on." Amaris glanced over at Jason for the last part of his sentence. "Realistically, all we can do is go back to Edith's and regroup."

"What, and flat-out _leave_ him here, leave Saffron altogether? Are you freaking _serious?_" Kaylee demanded, but Gav held up a hand to stop her.

"Amaris has a point. The last time we camped on the outskirts of Saffron after we attempted to infiltrate one of their establishments they were able to track us and attack the following morning."

Kaylee looked at her brother like he'd just thrown her to the wolves. "So we're going to just, go _home? _That's our plan?"

"What else can we _do_ right now?" Blake asked her, tossing his hands up in the air. "Jason's dad, my crazy brother and Whittaker-Cheng are all working together and all of them have the Gym district blocked off from us. They clearly know who we are and they knew somehow _before_ we even reached Whittaker-Cheng."

Gav lifted his hands and linked his fingers together in front of his forehead, closing his eyes. The motion caught Jason's eyes from where he was staring blankly at the ground, and a few others of their members looked up at him, too.

"It was our Pokémon," Gav said, his voice grim and his tone flat. He almost seemed vaguely amused, though the bitterness that tugged the corners of his mouth up into a wry, defeated smile contradicted that. "They recognized our Pokémon teams." Jason's heart sank the moment he said it; it had to be true. "I should have realized it before."

"No time to think about that now," Victoria said, though her tone was gentle. "For now we should just focus on getting somewhere safe and regrouping. It's clear we're in a stalemate here."

Jason was saying nothing, and it seemed to occur to the others that this was highly unusual. He could feel them turning to look at him, one at a time, and he had to fight the urge to get testy with them.

"What?" he said, failing in his attempt to keep his tone even. "We're in agreement, aren't we? There's nothing we can do right now. We're completely freaking helpless and we've got our hands tied. I get it."

"Jason_—_" Kaylee started to protest, but Jason lifted up his hand.

"Just_—_stop. No." Jason turned away from her and blinked through the tears that finally caught up with him. He had to face Gina in order to turn his back on the others, and she got a full view of the most emotion he'd shown in the entirety of the time she'd known him. Instead of staring at him or trying to distract him, Gina just put her hand on his knee and looked where he was looking, at a spot of patchy, dry grass between them. Grateful for the gesture and the fact that she wasn't calling attention to his moment of weakness, Jason let the sound of his father's voice, the automated messaging systems telling him Orion couldn't be reached, and their vulnerable, defenseless situation overwhelm him for a while as the others stood up and started to quickly pack up their sparse camp.


	30. Too Easy :Gav:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 29: Too Easy

(Gav Harrison)

The time spent at Edith's in the aftermath of Saffron Gym was nothing short of miserable.

Gav, Victoria, Beth and Kaylee continued monitoring the frequencies coming out of Saffron, looking for anything amiss in the news stories and television features. No one was saying anything, and no one seemed to suspect anything was amiss. The most they said was that Saffron Gym had to be closed for part of the day of their visit due to "technical difficulties." There were some poor-natured jabs at Whittaker-Cheng's recent criticism of Vincent Warren in light of his own Gym's issues, but beyond that no one looked further into the story. No one else seemed to realize anything had gone so horribly wrong there.

Gav had Jason's Dex on absolute lock-down. Jason didn't care, and told him he could keep it however long he wanted or completely destroy the thing if that's what it took to trace the number Nathan Fremont had called from. Gav didn't have a lot of hope that his efforts would work, and each failed attempt to capture any sort of information felt like another nail in the coffin. It was the only thing he could do, though, and he stayed up many nights in a row stationed at the kitchen table, the single yellow light above him his only company.

Kaylee, far from her usual habit of trying to get Gav to eat, sleep and rest between his insane bouts of research and tinkering, let him do what he wanted. Beth occasionally gently prodded him to get up and stretch, and Victoria plaintively asked him to stop torturing himself from across the kitchen table one night. She pointed out that she hadn't thought their teams of Pokémon would give them away either, nor had any of the rest of their number who had been trying to make their plan foolproof during the weeks of prep. Gav knew this was true, and told her as much to put some of her worrying to rest.

None of them forced him to stop, though, and he knew why. He was bearing the weight of their failure at the Gym, a very obvious burden, and everyone knew better than to try to relieve him of it. The only thing that would make him feel even remotely better was working, nonstop, to get Orion back and fix at least one of the horrendous wrongs that had come from his plan.

Jason was training nonstop, perhaps to have something to do, but Gav suspected it was born from something darker, too. He had Kadabra out almost 24/7 these days, practicing teleportation hops that stretched both boy and Pokémon to their breaking points. Jason was not a fan of teleportation, and the sound of him retching outside was something Gav soon came to expect multiple times a day. Kadabra was a figure of extreme sympathy to him during these marathon training sessions, the Pokémon looking simultaneously exhausted and frustrated that it could only expand its reach and stamina a little bit at a time.

Gina, Amaris, Zahlia, and Blake seemed to be at a loss for how to help. They had re-filed the discs and accounted for all their supplies and files, making sure nothing had been swiped or left behind in their mad flight from the Gym, but once that was done they seemed to be buzzing with a static energy that told how badly they wanted to be of use.

Zahlia was particularly hard to watch over the course of the week. Gav supposed he was getting to know her on a more fundamental level, because her blank expression and rigid posture, once mysterious to him, now actually showed a lot of the strain she carried around each day they went without retrieving Orion. He knew the two of them had been getting closer over the past many months, and had always been good friends before that. She, Kaylee and Jason were definitely taking his absence the hardest. Gina, who had known Orion for the longest time after Jason and Zahlia, appeared to be trying to put her own worries in the back seat as she tried to support her friends. Her attempts usually failed, especially where Kaylee and Jason were concerned. Gav's sister was a brooding, restless wreck, often checking on Gav and his work with Jason's Dex until Victoria took her aside and told her to leave him alone. This incited a verbal sparring match between the two girls and sparked Jason to leave the premises for another long, punishing training session with Kadabra.

Gav wasn't sure how much more of this they could take without snapping and tearing one another limb from limb. When Jason received the phone call exactly one week after Orion's disappearance, it could not have come a moment sooner.

Jason's Dex was luckily fully intact and turned on when the call came through. Gav was trying once more to trace the number, the Dex hooked up to his PDA, and when it buzzed Jason's head snapped up from where he was pouring himself some juice near the fridge. The only people who called him were in the cottage with him, and when Jason came to peer over Gav's shoulder he confirmed that it wasn't his mother calling, either. Jason looked up at Gav on the third vibrating hum from the Dex, poised to grab it, but waiting.

"Pick it up," Gav said, giving him permission to remove it from the cable connecting it to his PDA.

Jason picked up the phone and held it up. "Hello?" he asked, and a second later he gave an impression of leaping to his feet even though he was already standing. "Or—where are you? Are you okay? Where are you?" Gav's stomach turned and lifted in an unpleasant lurch as Jason walked frantically around the room, as if his signal was going out. "Route 3? You're there? By the sign that says Route 3? Stay there, don't move, I'm gonna come get you, don't move." Jason lowered his Dex and looked over at Gav again, his eyes wide, and Gav nodded.

"Let's go get him," he said, thoughts of electronic traces and other tracking measures leaping to his mind. "Just give me one second." He could feel Jason's agitated need to be on the move as Gav tore through the house and grabbed his poor-man's version of a metal detector. "Okay," he said, pocketing his PDA and striding over to where Jason and Kadabra were already waiting. He barely had time to reach out and grab Jason's arm.

* * *

Orion was within immediate eyeshot when Gav, Jason and Kadabra landed near Route 3. He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept in days and was barely staying upright on his feet, and Jason sprinted over to him and pulled him into a hug that looked painful. Gav yanked out his various tools and strode up to the brothers, imitating a sci-fi doctor and waving the little metal detector up and down their standing forms.

"Good," Orion said simply, spotting what Gav was doing. "I was reluctant to even call, I have no idea if they have some way of knowing where I'm going."

"This'll give us the answer in just a second," Gav said, staring at the screen of his PDA that was hooked up to the detector. He caught the frequency of the little cell phone Orion was holding in one hand, his arms flung around his brother. That was the biggest spike of electromagnetic energy besides Jason's own Dex, which had a higher and more nuanced signature than the other cell phone, and Gav motioned to Jason with his head.

"Step back for just a sec, Jay. I want to make sure I'm getting an accurate reading."

Jason did as he was told and took the cell phone from Orion, who spread his arms out crucifix-style and let himself be waved down with the detector. Gav almost felt more nervous that Orion came up completely clean. He would have felt better if he'd found a trace; this seemed too easy.

"Looks like they didn't put anything on you," he said after a moment, then looked into Orion's pale, drawn face. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?"

"Let's get away from here," Orion said. "I don't trust this area."

Gav nodded, fully agreeing with his assessment, and a moment later Orion, Gav, and Jason were gone, leaving the crushed remains of the temporary cell phone behind.

The three boys returned into the heart of Edith's living room to a flurry of reaction. Many of them called out, "Orion!" and rushed forward to greet them, and those who hung back had their eyes glued to him, waiting their turns impatiently to give him hugs and look him over.

Edith had taken up station beside him, peering into his face and fussing over him. "Are you hurt?" she asked, and Orion managed to pull himself together long enough to start answering some questions.

"No. No one hurt me. I'm just... really tired. Unsurprisingly sleep wasn't something I got a lot of while I was gone."

"No kidding," Gina said, giving his arm a squeeze and pulling him towards his favorite armchair. "Come take a load off while we interrogate you," she joked softly, but Gav could see that she was more than a little emotional at seeing him back in one piece.

Orion took a seat and took turns replying to various inquiries while Gav crossed his arms and watched from a distance, taking all the information in. Orion hadn't escaped, as it turned out. Last night he had apparently been sleeping when he'd been suddenly teleported to the outskirts of Pewter, where he'd been promptly left. He'd only managed to see an Abra retreating from nearby, and when no one leapt out of the bushes to reclaim him, he'd made a break for it. Orion had stumbled his way to the nearest cell phone store in Pewter at the crack of dawn and had purchased the throw-away cell phone with pre-bought minutes for as cheap as it came. He'd left the city proper and headed to Route 3 before calling, not wanting the others to pick him up anywhere even remotely close to other people and their prying eyes.

"Where _were _you for the week?" Victoria asked, and Orion sighed and shook his head.

"I couldn't tell you where it was. It was a house, a big white one... pretty expensive-looking and fancy. I wasn't allowed to leave the premises, obviously. Dad was there." He glanced up at Jason and Jason gave him a grim, commiserating expression. Jason had not been the same ever since the short conversation he'd had with his father, and Gav could only guess it was from the shock of actually hearing his voice after so many years without it. The conversation hadn't been long enough for Fremont to say anything damaging or upsetting, but Jason had been profoundly and deeply affected by it nonetheless.

"What did he do?" Beth asked, crouched down and hugging herself like Orion was telling them a campfire ghost story.

"Nothing, really. There were other people there besides dad, but they had their faces covered the whole time, so I couldn't see anything. And of course, dad told me nothing during the few times I did actually see him."

"No surprise there," Gina muttered, but another question cut her off.

"Where'd you get the money for the phone?" Blake asked, a very Blake question that came out of the left field.

Orion smiled wanly. "I still have my Pokémon on me, as you can see..." He motioned to his belt where his three Pokéballs were still attached. "I actually did that whole gamble-for-money thing and managed to win a few battles against new trainers. Not my proudest moment, but it got me enough money to get the phone."

"For the greater good," Beth said with a grin up to him that showed just how grateful she was to have him back. Orion smiled back at her and she reached out and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Why did they just... bring you back?" Victoria wondered aloud, her arms also crossed and one hand tapping an agitated drum beat out on her upper arm. It was Gav's question, too, for as grateful as he was to have Orion here, that was a glaringly suspicious move.

"I... don't know," Orion said, shaking his head. "The only thing I can think is... maybe they figured I'd screw up and return to you guys on foot, or call you from a traceable phone. Lead them to where the rest of you were."

"Maybe," Victoria said, still sounding unconvinced, but Gina frowned and spoke up.

"Your old phone—we couldn't get through to it, do you still have it?"

"No way," Orion said, shaking his head. "I destroyed that thing the second I was captured so they wouldn't be able to use it to try to contact any of you."

"Good move," Jason said, going to sit on the arm of Orion's chair, getting as close to his brother as possible without crowding him. "So you really don't know why they took you at all?"

"Not a clue," Orion said, shaking his head. "And I don't know why they 'set me free' other than that theory I just shared. It's more than a little suspicious for them to go through all this trouble rigging the Gym, outing us and snagging me, then just release me with no trouble."

"Unless someone released you without the permission of everyone else at the house," Kaylee ventured. The group turned to her, frowning, and she shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe his dad."

"Hah," Jason said, a bitter sound that was completely out of place coming from him. Orion looked at his brother with concern. "I doubt it," he said, shaking his head.

"... No, that _could _be it," Orion allowed. "I mean, it's something I've been thinking about a lot. Dad and the warning on TV about the blue stuff..."

"And then the call between him and Jason after you went missing," Gina said, and Orion did a double-take between the two of them.

"The call? Wait, _what _call?" Orion turned to face Jason, his brows set in a worried line. "Jason, you talked to dad on the phone?"

Sensing that Orion had a lot of catching up to do with the others and a lot to be filled in on, Gav let the gang do their work and walked a little unsteadily into the kitchen. His Dex-tinkering station was still set up in the middle of the table, preventing Edith from using the space for any semblance of food prep, and slowly Gav started to break down the techno gadgets and pack them away. He could hear his friends asking Orion more questions and filling him in on what had happened to each of them in the Gym, and the sound of his team together and whole worked like a narcotic. Gav pulled out a chair, put his head down at the table, and fell asleep right in the middle of his half-dismantled work.

* * *

_((Author's Note: I've tried, but I can't get around the profanity in the next chapter. It just feels weird and wrong to censor it and PG it up. There will be a few cases of the f-bomb, just to forewarn readers who aren't fond of cursing. Also as a note for the next arc of this series, which will be coming shortly, the content rating will go up to M, mainly for the kids getting older and more profane.))_


	31. I'm Sorry :Orion:

Pokémon Scarlet

Chapter 31: I'm Sorry.

(Orion Fremont)

Nothing looked the same.

Everything in Edith's cottage was the same. The little patches of rugs placed together strategically on the floor; the tiny, cramped shelves, completely free of dust and peppered with Pokémon figurines; the long computer table still piled under heavy stacks of messy paper; the unpredictable gas stove that threatened to send the place up in a ball of flame unless handled very carefully (and by anyone who was not Kaylee). The Viridian Forest that surrounded them was the same. It was still brambly and thick, lush and green. The Pokémon still milled around nervously in their pens, some of them rubbing their heads against fence posts and some of them walking in tight little circles for no reason. Their reactions were so arbitrary; the Pidgey and Rattata he had once terrified were fond of him again. The Kangaskhan's joey was getting bigger.

His friends and family were the same. Gina's hair was still unmanageable in the morning, and she still walked around with a brush stuck in it for safekeeping until she could muster the energy to keep fighting it. Amaris' number one hobby was still rolling his eyes, and he still couldn't seem to say anything without adding a biting, sarcastic lilt to it. Blake still had his deadpan ability to cut right to the truth of the matter, and still managed to sneak up on Orion no matter how diligent he was. These days he was doing it more and more—Orion got the feeling he was being purposely followed, watched. Beth and Victoria were still a study in opposites, Victoria showing her concern for him by frowning a lot and analyzing him, then doubling her efforts to get to the bottom of these mysteries. Her sister, on the other hand, went the route that Edith did, feeding him, bringing him things he didn't want or need, asking him over and over and over, "How are you? Are you feeling okay?" He hated it and loved it. Gav was still a caffeine-dependent, sleep-deprived, workaholic wonder. Kaylee still looked at him with a blend of harsh worry and desperate affection—how had he missed that before? He had missed a lot.

Zahlia and Jason still rarely left his side. They seemed to take it in shifts, deciding between themselves in an unspoken and respectful way when it was "brother time" and when it was "girl time." Zahlia still insisted on sacrificing her sleep time to visit him with Haunter, now every single night. It had become a normal occurrence for her to nod off next to him in bed, sitting up against his wall. Jason didn't grin as much, but he could still catch snips of the laughter-spasms that dominated his brother's body when something truly funny or wonderful happened. These things didn't happen a lot anymore, but Orion drank them in with all his senses, arrested and immersed, when they did.

It was all the same, but nothing was the same. Everything was simultaneously more beautiful and more painful than it had ever been before.

There were new things, too. Kaylee had a propensity for cracking her toes when she was nervous, and Orion was starting to realize she was nervous far more often than she let on. Beth managed to speak up just enough to not draw attention to herself, but not so much that she would draw attention to herself. It was a precarious balance. She kept her contributions right in the middle, preferring to hide in plain sight. Orion wondered if it was because she felt self-conscious; did she feel less connected to all of this than the rest of them? It was definitely a possibility. No matter how much she loved all of them, she might not love what they were doing anymore.

Likewise, Gav sacrificed so much without looking like he was sacrificing anything at all. Sure, he lost sleep and didn't have any hobbies to speak of, but the easy smile and way he engaged in casual conversation was perfunctory. Gav was clocking hours, not into his project, but into his personal life. Orion could see it on his face now; the countdown timer that was always in his head, stopping him from fully enjoying any one moment he was in. Orion knew he'd be completely gray by the time he was forty. He still remembered the fact that he had once clocked him square in the face, locked in a mad frenzy in Silph's secret warehouse. Gav had never brought it up again after that night.

Victoria's anger, something Orion had hitherto chalked up to disposition or general intolerance, was something much more complex and difficult to deal with. Her way of showing affection was to be hard on people, and the harder she was the more she cared. Gav suspected only her sister understood this about her, and perhaps Gav was starting to, as well. Orion wondered how many of her friendships and relationships had ended before this truth could emerge.

Amaris was quite similar, in reality. Orion wondered if it was a redhead thing. He'd tried to hide his uncle's findings from them, and Orion understood why, now. If anyone had told him when the professor's nephew had joined them that, in mere months he would be trying to protect and shield them from painful and frightening things, Orion wouldn't have believed it.

Gina had started to grind her teeth. It wasn't conscious, and it became far worse when she was asleep. Orion had passed her, napping on the floor near the couch, and the sound had actually halted him mid-step. It had taken him a moment to realize what it was. He didn't know how aware she was of her internalized, constant stress, but her body and subconscious were certainly in on the secret.

Edith—Edith knew what was coming. She alternated between meeting his eyes and refusing to, and when they saw one another they really saw one another. She asked him silently to reconsider, to prove her fears irrational and wrong, and he made no such promise.

Blake might know, too. Orion had always known how observant and shrewd he was, but he hadn't expected Zahlia's brother to invest very much in anything. He had always kept to himself, but Orion was starting to realize that was not indicative of a lack of concern. He was so much like his sister, in so many ways. The smallest gesture he made was equivalent to a bear hug or a heartfelt confession from anyone else. The fact that Blake appeared at his elbow over and over and over, his dark eyes suspicious and searching, meant that he had grown fond of Orion and wanted to help.

Zahlia, of all people, was the one who was in denial now. While everyone else alternated between looking at him with concern or trying to deduce ways to help, Zahlia had tried at once to go back to the status quo. She smiled at him more than he could ever remember her doing in the past, came to him instead of merely responding when he came to her. Her eye contact, mild and controlled before, then virtually gone in the days when she was being ostracized, was now steady and unbroken. The attention was disorienting to Orion, but also fascinating and, no matter how much he fought it, enthralling. He found himself gravitating towards her, noticed the way they were always turned towards each other wherever they were sitting or standing now, the way they put their hands down on the floor, tables or chairs—close to each other, but not quite touching.

They were all so amazing, backwards, frustrating and perfect. He wished he had noticed it all before. It was like discovering a hidden track on his favorite album.

It was Jason, however, who he watched the most for new things. He ardently hoped he would not spot them.

His father had shown him the glands, painful, swelling patches of skin at specific points on his body. Orion had felt his own skin with his fingers while his father read aloud to him from the most recent Henderson report—a demented, sick version of a bedtime story. At the sides of his ribcage, four inches below his underarms. In the place where his upper thighs met his hips. His eyelids. Behind his ears. They felt like swollen lymph nodes, like he merely had a flu and could get better with some antibiotics, fifty boxes of tissues and bed rest. His father had robbed him of his comfortable denial, taken his former life from him in that one five-minute span of time.

Orion had not expected his father to give him anything in return for what he had taken, but he had. Orion had been allowed to return, just long enough to check Jason for the signs.

Jason seemed fine. Orion remained unconvinced, and tried to be subtle as he checked him over. _You've got dirt behind your ear, jeez, Jase, sit still a sec. You getting sick? Here, let me check. Yeah, I'm a mom, hur hur, funny._

Orion had wandered far into creepy territory when Jason sustained a small cut from one of Ivysaur's stray Razor Leaf attacks during one of their battles. Orion rarely ever fought with this team, but when he realized how happy it made Jason to share something he loved with him, he vowed to train with him every single day for as long as he could. The cut was not terrible, but Edith had come outside as if she'd scented the blood like a shark. She had a sixth sense for injuries, and Jason had blushed and grinned at her fussing, rubbing the short hair at the back of his neck and glaring at Orion when he fluttered his eyelashes at him in jest.

Orion had quite shamelessly dug the bloody gauze pad out of the trash later that night. He had no idea how these things worked; it was likely that a blood sample wouldn't show anything definitive for Jason, and it was also likely that the sample was contaminated from the open air already. Nevertheless he tucked it into a plastic bag, and then into one of his socks. It couldn't hurt to try.

He wondered what he'd have done differently if he'd known about this all along. Would he have picked up on the signs earlier? The fevers, chills, jumps in consciousness and time, the weird aggression tempered with long spells of lethargy… they had all been strange to experience, but explainable. The other things, though—the way a Golbat had decided mid-attack to run away from him, a flock of Pidgey flattening themselves to the ground, the way he'd writhed on the floor in pain with his friends' Pokémon in Silph...

And ah, there it was. It had been happening as early as Mt. Moon, when one of the rarest Pokémon in the world had strolled right up to him, knowing that he wanted to capture it and silently obeying.

So many little things made sense now.

Apparently his father had really started to piece it together when Zeke Nakawa, blood pouring down his face, had accusingly spat that his son had done this to him. Fremont was quite blunt and frank in the retelling; he had flat-out refused to believe that Orion, his mild-mannered, pacifist kid could fight his way out of a paper bag. He'd thought Zeke meant Jason at first.

Vaughn Nakawa was not someone Orion ever wanted to see again. It was one of the things he dreaded most about his time with them. Nakawa wasn't frightening the way Fremont was. He wasn't big, imposing, or remarkable at all. He had his children's dark hair and dark eyes, and the only things that stuck out about him were his white suit and the fact that he didn't have a single gray hair in spite of being in his fifties. His presence wasn't like a street fight, all aggression out in the open where it could be seen. Nakawa was terrifying because Orion could tell, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the older man had never been terrified himself in his life. Things went his way, and if they did not they would soon. It wasn't something he had to back up with big talk, yelling, breaking furniture, or even calmly issuing a warning. All he had to do was be there, and the unspoken understanding was that you would rue the day you were born if you crossed him. Seeing his own father powerless and impotent against Zahlia's was one of the most disorienting things he'd ever witnessed.

They had fought right in front of him, as if he wasn't there. Orion had been trying to blend in with the walls, but he had a feeling they wouldn't have noticed him even if he'd stripped naked and ran through the house screaming.

_You sent your daughter to spy on my kids? Seriously, Nakawa? What the fuck?_

_No need to raise your voice, Nathan. I had noticed you weren't doing a very good job getting them. I wanted to help._

_Fuck you. Stay the hell out of my business and away from my kids._

_Your son is in our care now. I surmise it will be a little difficult for me to stay away from him._

_Vaughn, I swear to God—_

_This doesn't end well for you. We've been through this before. _Vaughn Nakawa didn't sound particularly angry or smug. He sounded perhaps vaguely surprised and a bit judgmental, like Fremont had revealed he didn't know who the current mayor was. _How's your home, by the way? Did you get those repairs done? I hope you got the check I sent you._

The resultant hurricane of curses and crashing had sent Orion from the room and into the hall to get away. When his father had found him again he had a growing bruise from his left cheekbone down to his jaw, and Orion only barely stopped himself from asking. Vaughn Nakawa was much smaller than his father. He was pretty sure the injury had come from someone else, but he was equally sure it had been because of his earlier indiscretion against Zahlia's father. Orion still found it bewildering that, even knowing what a bad idea it was to get in Vaughn Nakawa's face, his father seemed to do it on a semi-regular basis. He chalked it up to some of that "irrational behavior" that Factor A seemed to spawn.

His father had not been born with the alpha gene. He surmised that if Orion was lucky, he would never need to be injected with the blue stuff the way the synthetically-triggered alphas did. If his glands were starting to produce the chemical on their own, he had his own supply and didn't have to be tied to the syndicate, returning every few months for a new supply. The long business trips suddenly made sense to Orion, especially in light of the overheard fight. He wondered what his dad had done around that time to piss off Nakawa and be put on such a short leash.

The Factor A experiment had been an unfortunate decision in Fremont's early twenties, a promising way to improve his training. He had been one of the first subjects, and one of the only ones who could still live a normal life. Fremont had actually laughed at the look on Orion's face when he'd said that. _Yeah, kid. Believe it or not, I'm an example of one of the normal ones. _Who were some of the abnormal ones? Orion had asked. _You kicked the shit out of one of them in Lavender Town._

Being like his father had always been Orion's biggest fear, his number one thing to avoid in life. Becoming like Zeke seemed, if possible, worse. Orion hated the fact that Zeke was around so often during those few weeks, hovering in the periphery, glaring at him, lying in wait. Orion did his best to ignore him, but it was just about impossible. The grievance the eldest Nakawa sibling had brought to him when he finally did confront him—_stay the hell away from my sister_—actually made Orion laugh, which had been unwise. He couldn't help it, though; in light of everything, it was a ludicrous thing to discuss. Zeke had raged at him then, leaping into an assault, and Orion had promptly crashed backwards through a flimsy table, the combined weight of two tall teens proving too much for it. His own black-out-rage super strength had been inconveniently absent during that scuffle, and when two huge men dragged Zeke away, his shouts and curses echoing across the high ceilings, whatever humor Orion had felt was decidedly gone.

His father and Zeke were examples of people who had been born apparently normal and had had Factor A introduced into their systems later in life. It was not an inherent part of their genetic makeup, built into them to trigger naturally like hair growth, voice changing, and growth spurts in puberty. His father and Zeke were unpredictable, prone to violence and generally living in an emotional and mental landmine.

Orion figured when it was all done, he would be much, much worse.

So it was not only his friends that sparked sudden realizations and nostalgia in him. Orion wondered if it was possible to miss yourself, and miss yourself before you had really gone away yet. He'd already lost a lot. His sketchbook was a timeline of his decline, his face a still life of his preoccupied mind and bleak emotional state. Sleep was never a refuge for him and food had lost its appeal. How long would it be before he stopped trying to apologize for ridiculous little things, stopped constantly fumbling over his words and having to eat them, stopped cracking up at the things in life that were objectively delightful?

The updated Henderson report had mentioned that the personality changes on those questionnaires were actually closer to 90% than 75%.

It was impossible to tell, though. Orion was the only kid born from a subject who was showing signs at all. Most of the subjects hadn't procreated, and if they had, their children were well into their adult years with nothing abnormal surfacing yet. Orion wondered bleakly if they even knew they might be carriers. What would those children do when they had children? What if the gene triggered then?

Orion knew he himself would never take the chance that a child of his would be subject to that risk. Not that it was looking like a possibility at all anymore these days, but starting a family was out of the question now. When he thought of Jason and Edith, their cutesy and at times nauseating sweet talk about what their ideal life would be like when they were older, his blood chilled. Just because Jason seemed fine now, what if he was a carrier? What if he wasn't just a carrier, but simply hadn't triggered his own gene yet? Orion's hadn't really started until he was sixteen.

When he'd asked his father what they were going to do about that, he hadn't expected a good answer. He also hadn't expected his father to say "I have no idea," either. They could take Jason now, preemptively—at Orion's look of muted horror and the apparent start of quiet rage, his father had smirked with no humor. "Yeah, I don't like that idea any more than you do. If he can live a normal life for a while longer, let him. It sucks, but you can't be there to watch him every step of the way. He's gotta live his own life."

Orion had understood something then in a crystallizing moment of gut-punching clarity.

Orion understood now what had happened the night he had come home early from his aunt's. He had surmised the events that had occurred earlier, during his father's argument with Vaughn; Fremont and Nakawa had been fighting about something, had probably gotten into a Pokémon battle, and Orion had come home at the wrong time. It was only now, though, that Orion really internalized and digested the deeper layer of meaning beneath that, and beneath everything else.

He'd never seen his father mad like that. He raged about Warren and snapped at Orion, shouting at him to shape up and stop being such a wimp, but the cold, searing fury in his father that night had been utterly unparalleled. Orion had chalked it up to his father not wanting to be seen in a state of disrepair, or not wanting to be caught in whatever shady business he'd been doing. He understood now that the anger had been fear. He wanted Orion to stay out of the line of fire. If Vaughn returned and realized that Orion had seen any of it, there went all his plausible deniability. There went his "normal life," the same normal life that Orion and his father were now trying to give Jason.

The first realization tipped the dominos down to the other ones. _What the hell are you going to do when you're on your own?_ "Muscle deterioration over time can theoretically shorten subjects' life spans." _Stay the hell out of my business and away from my kids. It sucks, but you can't be there to watch him every step of the way. You can't do this forever. Just remember that._

How hard must it be, to battle against the chemical rage thundering through your veins with every heartbeat? Orion had barely stopped himself from striking out at his brother, who he loved more than anything in the world. Granted, his father had had years of practice, but if their splintered furniture and deeply unhappy neighbors were any indicator, it never got easier. Suddenly the fact that his father had kept him for sixteen years, managed to never turn his temper on him in a severe way, followed him to Cerulean when he'd run off, and was now calmly explaining all of these changes to him seemed like a near-impossible feat. Orion was honestly not sure if he'd be able to do the same.

He didn't know why it made him so angry. Realizing that his father cared about him—cared about him so much that he'd fought multiple times against what might be the most powerful man in the world to keep him and his brother safe—ought to have been touching, or at least mildly pleasing. Instead Orion put a hand across his forehead, took in a broken, shaky breath, and managed to choke out, "god dammit, dad."

"Yeah," he responded, and Orion flashed back to a lifetime ago in Pewter City, hugging Jason and resting his chin atop messy blond spikes. "I know."

* * *

Orion hoped that no one was listening in on his father's end of the line. He'd have a hard time explaining himself if one of Nakawa's associates was around to eavesdrop. His end of the conversation was one big string of incriminating statements: "You done checking on Jason? Okay, good. You know what comes next. You packed? So I'll send the Abra to pick you up at the coordinates we agreed on, one a.m. Alright, see you then. Bye."

His own end was much less so: "He's fine. Yes. I know. Yes. Okay. Bye." Still, when he turned around and saw Blake standing in his open doorway he jumped about a foot in the air. "Jesus, Blake."

"Who were you talking to?" Zahlia's brother was efficient as ever.

"My mom," Orion said. "I've been talking to her the past few days, finally."

"I see," Blake said, narrowing one eye. "So if I go ask Jason to dial up his mom right now, she'll say she just got off the phone with you."

"Mmhmm," Orion said, cursing colorfully in his mind and willing Blake to stop with the invasive line of questions. He didn't doubt that the youngest Nakawa would follow through on this threat.

"Shit, Orion, you suck at playing hardball. Just stop." Orion made some kind of face, and Blake rubbed his hands over his eyes, a gesture way too old for a boy who was not quite twelve. "I'm not gonna tell Jason. But, jeez, talk to me. Or Zahlia. Or somebody. This is serious."

"I'm… rather aware that things have been serious lately, yes," Orion said, feeling the soft edges of slight annoyance ghosting through him.

"I know they told you more than you told us. If you're not ready to talk yet, fine. But damn, you're acting so—so weird. Weirder than usual. And you've been crazy weird lately so, yeah. Saying a lot."

Orion wasn't used to Blake babbling like this, and felt a stab of guilt that he'd contributed to this scattered, distressed state of mind. "I… sorry, I know. I'm sorry." His last apology was supposed to be something else, an explanation or reassurance, but it didn't quite bake right in his mind.

He found Jason after Blake had gone. His brother looked tired, but the good-tired. His limbs were rubbery and useless after a long running session and an even longer trainer battle, and as the sun had been unusually strong that day his brother seemed sun-drenched and bleary-eyed. He kept rubbing at his face, yawning, blinking so slowly and indistinctly that Orion's own eyes kept watering in sympathy.

"Who won?" he asked, both loving and hating the inane small talk. This conversation could very well be the last one he had with his brother for the foreseeable future.

"Me, of course," Jason said, puffing up a little in mock pride. Then he laughed and waved a hand in the air in a dismissing fashion. "By like, the skin of my teeth. Frickin' Sandshrew is getting good."

"Damn straight," Gina said from across the room, giving Jason a wink and clicking her tongue against her teeth.

"Bleh," Jason said to accompany sticking his tongue out at her.

Orion knew that hugging his brother might make him suspicious. Though many people assumed Jason was unobservant and dense, his brother was extremely astute in a number of ways. He had a natural ability to sense when something was amiss with his team, his closest friends, and his family. The last thing Orion wanted was for his final evening with his brother, and all of the rest of them, to be marred by uneasiness and uncomfortable questions.

Nevertheless, when he thought that Jason could, at any moment, announce that he was tired and crawl off to bed, his chest constricted. He waited until Gina and Jason were done with their across-the-room banter, and when Jason laughed and turned back to Orion, mouth open to say something, Orion took a step forward and pulled him closer. He meant to make it a quick, casual thing, but he wound up holding on much tighter.

Instead of slight alarm and concern, Jason just buried his face into Orion's shirt and squeezed back, turning it into a competition to see who could bruise the other's spine more. It occurred to Orion as he hammed up an "oof!" for Jason's benefit that perhaps his brother needed this kind of reassuring contact as much as he did.

When he got back to his father, he would volunteer to be the one to check in on his friends. He was the perfect candidate, and he would be able to make a strong case for himself. If he had to prove himself for years, he would do it. He would be there to watch Jason for the signs, and to either breathe a sigh of relief with each new day that his brother remained whole and healthy, or be the one to catch his fall if his gene did trigger, and make it as easy on him as he could.

_I've always got your back._

* * *

Zahlia came to him later in the night, ready for their now nightly ritual of Dream Eater and falling asleep next to each other in their day clothes. It was such an odd little routine, but Orion looked at in a new light. Perhaps he'd been mistaken about her being in denial. Perhaps she insisted on spending every night with him because she _could _see it coming, too.

"I don't think I want a DE session tonight," Orion said, offering her a wan smile. "I'd like to try to relearn the art of sleeping unassisted."

"Fair enough," she said, sitting down on the bed and starting to braid her hair. Orion frowned slightly, wondering why she was still there, but after a moment he realized she had no intention of leaving. Heat prickled at his neck and he glanced away. He was actually not at all confident that he'd have the willpower to kick her out.

Instead Orion let himself simply watch her. Her fingers were deft as they wound her hair into the long, thick rope, tight and secure from years of practice. She was in one of her numerous turtlenecks, though this one had short sleeves. He still had no idea how she was never overheated. A shadow of a smile came to his face—there was always the robot theory.

"I hear Blake's been giving you a hard time," Zahlia said quietly.

"He's… no, it's nothing like that," Orion said, sitting down on the other corner of the bed just as Zahlia stood up to stretch. His hands felt big and clumsy and like they had nowhere to go, so he wove his fingers together and rested them in his lap. "He's just worried. Like everybody, I guess."

"It has to be frustrating," she said, still quietly, still not facing him. The black rubber band was twisted tight around the base of her braid, the tapered tail reminding Orion of his brief painting phase. He'd always wondered if his paintbrushes were made from real hair or a synthetic approximation. "I hope you understand that we know you're capable and can take care of yourself. No one means to be condescending."

"I know," he said, shifting his eyes away and staring down at the place where Edith's carpet budged up gently against the wall. He thought maybe his tossing and turning, moving the bed slowly away from the wall, had caused the rug to pucker like that. Surely their OCD hostess wouldn't have normally allowed an imperfect seam like that. Orion stood, just to have something to do. The clumsy sensation in his hands had traveled, and now his entire body was filled with restless energy. She needed to leave, not spend the night. She was a light sleeper and he was sure the sound of him creeping out would wake her.

Instead of an excuse to get her to leave his room, Orion found himself saying, "I worry, too. All of this—all I do now is worry."

It wasn't articulated well at all, and Orion was sure she would have only a vague clue what he meant. Jason was his only legitimate family here, but it didn't matter—they all had become kin to him. Knowing what they were up against—knowing that he couldn't tell them, lest it make everything so much worse—knowing that very soon, mere hours from now, he would no longer be able to help them—knowing that they had no idea about any of this—it was only a small fraction of the "all of this" that kept Orion up at night.

Instead of frowning at him, asking for clarification, or nodding in vague acquiescence, Zahlia just turned to him and held his gaze. Her eyes looked as old as he felt.

"I know," was all she said, and all at once he truly felt that she did.

He had never understood her more than he did in that moment. He had never been truly angry at her, not even in the clearing after Lavender. When she had revealed she'd been sent to spy on him he had been shocked, hurt, bewildered and a little incredulous, like the others would turn to him at any moment and shout "psyche!" But he had never been angry. He'd just wished she had trusted him enough to tell him earlier. He had been naïve enough back then to really believe he could have helped if she'd just come clean. He knew better now. He finally understood what it meant to have to lie to protect the ones you loved.

"You said you wanted Zeke to come around," Orion said, starting to speak without thinking. Had she always been this expressive and he'd just never noticed? Her face showed her shock and discomfort so clearly now. He plowed on, needing to get it out. "Just—don't let him use that against you. He's not… well. I don't think he'll ever be well again."

He wasn't only talking about Zeke, and he thought perhaps she knew it. She held his eyes for a long time, and as much as Orion had been noticing lately, he suddenly stopped being able to tell what she was thinking. Afraid he'd overstepped his boundary once and for all, he muttered a quiet apology, perhaps one of his last, and turned to retreat. Her hand closing around his arm stopped him. Looking back at her was a mistake. Turning back to face her and brushing her hair behind her ear was a mistake, too.

He told himself not to, over and over, a never-ending reel of _bad idea _in his head. Normally he would have frozen up, his lack of confidence stopping him dead and causing him to say or do something stupid. If not, he would have taken the high road, looked away as if he'd heard something outside and allow her to save her pride. He wouldn't have done it, knowing that he wouldn't be able to promise her any kind of happy ending.

Perhaps he was already changing. When she closed the distance between them, put her arms around his neck and turned her face up to his, he took her in his arms and kissed her back.

* * *

It took forty drafts. He erased the words at first, trying to write new ones over the mulchy, ruined paper long after it was viable. Then he took to tearing the sheets out, not crumpling them and throwing them at the wastebasket, but stacking them beside him. They were neat little piles of nothing.

When he finally figured out what he wanted to say, it was incredibly simple. He debated removing the page and slipping it under Jason's door, or Zahlia's. He thought about leaving it on the kitchen counter, or taped to the front door. In the end he simply left his sketchbook in the middle of his bed, open to that page.

_I have to leave. I'm safe. I'm sorry._


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

(Beth Larson)

The notebook had been carried out of Orion's bedroom carefully, like it was a piece of evidence or a deceased thing that needed to be treated with respect. It had been placed carefully in the middle of the coffee table in the living room, and the group was crowded around it now, some sitting lifelessly on the sofa, some staring out the window wordlessly, some drumming their fingers on the floor or their thighs with restless confusion and agitation. No one seemed to know what to do or where to start.

"Do you think he knew he was going to leave, even when he first returned?" Victoria finally asked, her fingers digging into a headache with fierce precision.

"Dunno," Gina said blandly, from her place on the floor next to the coffee table. She was staring at the notebook in a distant, distracted way, as if waiting for the arrival of some insight that she knew would never come. "Probably."

"It doesn't seem likely that he was suddenly contacted and had to leave in a rush," Beth agreed.

"Plus," Blake said, digging his palms into his forehead for a headache that apparently matched Victoria's, "he'd been acting sad and shifty ever since he got back. He knew this was coming."

"So, what?" Jason asked, looking back to the room from the window. His arms were latched firmly across his chest and a serious, hardened look remained frozen and out-of-place on his normally easy-going face. "Where do we even go from here?"

No one said anything. Beth hadn't really expected anyone to.

Amaris finally spoke up after the long, dry silence. "We have to face an uncomfortable possibility, here. If Orion is being manipulated and had to return to his father and the others against his will, they may eventually be able to get our location out of him. If they don't know it already."

Beth was already on her feet before Amaris had even finished his second sentence. Many people spoke up at once, but Jason's retort drowned the others out.

"You think Orion would give us up? Fuck you, you don't know anything about my brother, so shut the hell up and—"

"Whoa, kay," Beth said, diving between the argument. "This is something we need to talk about, but not like this. It's too raw right now." She paused, looking from tense face to tense face. "Alright?"

"No, not alright," Amaris said. "We could be in danger, and even if Jason doesn't want to talk about it, the rest of us need to accept that possibility and make some kind of plan of action."

"Fine, go for it," Jason said, storming out of the house and into the yard. Edith slipped out to follow him and Gina, who had been on her way to do the same, stopped awkwardly mid-stride and sat back down on the ground, the job position of comforting him already filled.

Beth let out a loaded sigh and sat back down on her end of the couch, leaning her elbows forward on her knees. "Alright. So, a plan of action. What would that entail?"

Gav spoke up, which was a good thing, since Amaris seemed to be resenting the lack of support on this particular subject. "If worse comes to worse, we have to discuss the possibility of splitting the group up. We're conspicuous all together like this."

The looks of mingled horror and shock on the faces of their team mirrored Beth's own feelings. The idea of splitting up did not go over well, and even Amaris stated it would be illogical to do so, since it would just mean they'd have to find new safe houses for not only one group of people, but potentially multiple.

"Plus," Gina said, closing Orion's notebook, apparently because she didn't want to look at his goodbye note anymore, "we can't just leave Edith here. If they come looking for us they'll come here. I don't want to think about what would happen if she was alone when that happened."

The general consensus by the end of their meeting was to stick together and sit tight. A night guard system had been implemented though, and Beth drew up a sleeping schedule for the week as people called out which shift they'd prefer to have and when. Jason and Edith were absent for the entire rest of the meeting, and as a result Beth did not schedule Jason on the night guard sheet. She figured he needed all the rest he could get in light of his brother's flight. He was a completely different person these days. All of them were.

* * *

(Victoria Larson)

Victoria was perfectly torn these days about what she wanted to do regarding Gav. Part of her wanted to work with him, helping with his new line of research that delved more into the cryptic clue Zeke had dropped about the League. Part of her wanted to drag him away from the computer, throw his PDA out the window, and tell him to just stop for a while, sleep, and feel upset with the rest of them. Pouring himself into nonstop planning wouldn't make Orion magically change his mind and come back. It wouldn't make Jason or Kaylee stop their rigorous, almost self-destructive training regiments, and though it felt better than doing nothing, it wasn't actually getting him anywhere other than sleep-deprived.

Gav's current project was focused on finding ways regular citizens could reach the League without pulling strings with high-up connections. The most typical way to gain access to the Pokémon League, of course, was to collect the eight Gym badges, defeat the Elite 4 and become a Champion. Gav was searching for any viable alternative. It was proving, however, to be just as daunting a mission as they had expected.

"Anything useful?" Victoria asked, not because she wanted to know, but because Gav seemed to need to discuss it. The crease in his brow and frequent sighing gave him away.

"Just... getting Gym badges is extremely illegal. I mean, getting them through illegal means is... illegal." He shook out his head. "Let me back up."

Victoria nodded and tried to hide a small, amused smile. "Please do."

"The general penalty for forging or selling badges on the black market is fifty to life," Gav explained, and Victoria's eyebrows shot up. Gav looked up at her expression and huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, I thought that was pretty extreme, too. But I guess that's what they decided they have to do to protect the economic machine of the Elite 4 tournaments."

"Don't they have people who check to see if your team is even powerful enough to fight the Elite 4?" Victoria asked, imagining a flood of trainers with illegal badges showing up to Indigo Plateau with their level five Pidgeys.

"Was just getting to that," Gav said, not impatiently, but like he was happy she'd brought up that point. "Since forging or selling badges is so incredibly illegal, what some... ill-advised trainers do is challenge each of the eight Gym Leaders with teams of the lowest possible level cap. Even this, understandably, isn't exactly an easy feat. Nevertheless, it's easier than challenging the leaders in order with an increasingly stronger team each time." Victoria nodded to show she was following. "So, these trainers who get their eight badges on, ah, 'easy mode' for lack of a better term, show up at Indigo Plateau thinking that that's all they should need to get an audience with the Elite 4. But there's a level cap for challenging the E4, though no one is quite sure what it is. Seems kind of arbitrary, but from what I gather there are 'entrance exams' of sorts and if your team doesn't look up to scratch you can get turned away at the doors, eight badges or no."

Victoria laughed softly at that image. "I would imagine that makes for some very angry trainers."

"Oh yeah," Gav said, pushing his PDA in front of her. Victoria peered down, tucking some hair behind her ear, and read the angry red header on a website titled "AN ELITE SCAM!" Underneath was a message board peppered with angry threads started by people who had evidently been denied access to challenging the Elite 4 in spite of having all eight badges. It looked like a depressingly high number of trainers were turned away each year, if the hit count on the page was any indication.

"Well, can't blame them for having entrance exams," Victoria reasoned. "It sure seems like it'd cut down on the amount of annihilated Pokémon teams."

"No kidding," Gav said, and she could hear that his brief spell of interested storytelling was over. He was lapsing back into that agitated, stagnant frustration that he lived in 24/7 now. "Just, makes it a lot harder for us."

"What are you thinking?" she asked, picking his brain for their plan of action. Everything seemed to point to the League; if Orion wasn't there, that was at least where some of the answers to their questions would be. Getting to the League, however, was looking more and more insurmountable.

In Gav's pause Victoria could see him now, burnt out in his mid-teens, stress lines on his face and the same sort of tremor in his hands that her mother developed after her father's incarceration. Victoria flashed back to a version of herself from years ago, the one who'd silently judged Gav as he said "sometimes you have to bend the rules." She'd changed more than she could say since then, but one opinion had remained rock steady in her all that time: criminals ruined the lives of even those that they didn't directly wrong.

"... I'm not sure yet," Gav admitted.

* * *

(Gav Harrison)

For the first time, Gav had found something utterly impenetrable in the Silph files. He took comfort in the fact that at least he was not the only one who'd encountered this problem before.

To: Pearson, Morgan

From: McCullough, Dean

Subject: Yes, I'm aware it's been five months.

I don't mean to come off as snarky in this message, but the tone of your question seems to imply that you think I'm not trying my hardest to crack the Pres files. I assure you this is not the case.

To: McCullough, Dean

From: Pearson, Morgan

Subject: Re: Yes, I'm aware it's been five months.

I didn't intend any offense. It's merely surprising to me that none of our code-cracking team can get into this file in the slightest. What, precisely, makes this one so difficult compared to the others?

To: Pearson, Morgan

From: McCullough, Dean

Subject: Re: Re: Yes, I'm aware it's been five months.

In order for me to explain to you what makes this file different from the others for our code-cracking team, it would take a significant portion of my day. And, as you so helpfully pointed out, it has been five months since we began our work. I wager you wouldn't want us taking even more time off from this task.

Gav smiled slightly as he scanned the increasingly frustrated and catty messages back and forth between the two Silph workers. It didn't take much reading to determine that, five months or no, no one had been able to crack open the mysterious file so blatantly and tantalizingly named "President's Personal Files."

Silph's original president was, of course, long dead, but something told Gav this file did not belong to any of his successors. Silph was somewhat notorious for having relatively unimpressive, weak-willed presidents after their first dynamic leader. The man was a bit of a guilty pleasure idol of Gav's; as much of a corporate sell-out as he'd apparently been, the man had an impressive résumé. Silph had had the market cornered on Pokémon products for ages, inventing and distributing Pokéchow, Potions, and of course, the technological wonder that was the Pokéball. The idea of what could possibly be inside his personal files, and such highly-encrypted ones at that, was tempting to say the least.

Gav often got bouts of something he couldn't call motivation followed by bouts of despair that stopped whatever he was working on mid-stride. The motivation felt sort of like denial-fueled mania, his body and brain running through the motions of what was familiar even while his wheels spun hopelessly in neutral. The arguments he had in his head sounded a lot like the arguments his friends frequently had around him.

_How is trying to crack the President's files going to help Orion?_

_How is _anything_ going to help Orion at this point?_

_Something is better than nothing._

_Not if that something is useless mental clutter or a distraction that keeps us from our real goal._

_Our real goal? Which is what, pray tell?_

Gav didn't know the answer, and not knowing was burning a hole in his gut. It was either that or the start of an ulcer.

Gav wasn't expecting a miracle, but after a few solid days of his own hacking attempts he shelved the PPFs aside. It would feel a little better if he refocused on the League for a while. In his massive sea of helplessness, that direction felt a little less pointless.

* * *

(Kaylee Harrison)

Blood was thundering in Kaylee's ears as she stopped briefly in her training to lean over and catch her breath. Though she prided herself on being in shape and quick, her arms were trembling as she rested them against her thighs, arching her back and letting the sore, aching muscles stretch. Her Growlithe both looked as worn out as she felt, and immediately stooped down into low crouches, stretching out their legs much the way Jason's Ivysaur did during its Poké-yoga stretching.

When Kaylee stood up again Gina was in front of her. The other girl was twisting some of her long brown hair around her finger and frowning, two things she'd taken to doing a lot more lately.

"How long you been at it?" Gina asked, and Kaylee recognized the question as one Gina had just asked Jason this morning. The youngest Fremont brother and she had a lot more in common these days than ever—both were crushed by Orion's departure, not bothering at all to hide it, and pouring themselves into their training as a result.

"Few hours," Kaylee lied, the same way Jason had lied that morning when he'd answered Gina's question with "not long."

"Ah," Gina said, clearly not convinced but also not going to challenge it. "Alright. Well, unless you're done and want to like, do something human like eat or sleep, wanna train with me?"

Kaylee's eyebrows lifted somewhat at that—it wasn't often that she trained with anyone other than Victoria, Beth or, once in a blue, blue moon, her brother. Kaylee supposed Gina was looking in new places for the connection and camaraderie she'd been somewhat missing in Jason lately.

"Sure," Kaylee said, managing to change her surly expression into a brief quirk of a smile to Gina before she slapped her knee for Growlithe to heel and took a few steps back from Gina.

It was a fire-on-fire battle for them today, with Charmeleon's and Growlithe's significant Ember attacks clashing mid-air and causing the already hot day to become blistering around them. Gina, mopping her brow, called a question to Kaylee over the heat and flames—_think this is considered Flamethrower yet? _To which Kaylee laughed and shouted back, _No clue!_

Things were actually nice for a while, and Kaylee could almost feel the beginnings of a genuine smile coming to her face until she caught sight of a dark-green-clad figure with long, dark hair moving silently away from them around the side of the house. Perturbed and almost offended at the idea that Zahlia had been watching them train, Kaylee's almost-smile dropped from her face at once as she stared over at the place Zahlia had once occupied.

The gesture was not lost on Gina, who halted the battle and also slapped her knee to get Charmeleon to come over for a heal break. Kaylee hoped she'd just drop it, and for a while the furtive glances and pregnant pause seemed to be the only things Gina was going to do with it.

It wasn't to last though, and Kaylee let out a soft, terse sigh as Gina cleared her throat. "So. Things are still pretty much... the same between you guys, then?"

Kaylee knew she could play dumb, but it wasn't worth it. "Yeah," she said simply, now entertaining a new hope that Gina would drop it at that.

"Mm," Gina said, a noncommittal but clearly disappointed sound. Kaylee, knowing the training session was on hold now in favor of a deeply unwanted talk, resigned herself to it and crouched down so her exhausted Growlithe could romp over to her and collapse on the ground to have its belly rubbed. Gina waited a while before continuing. "I understand you guys have... bad blood, and all. It just seems like a shame to have a rift in our group in light of everything that's happened." She chanced a glance up to Kaylee, who was staunchly avoiding her gaze but could see the movement out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think Zahlia wants to be fighting anymore."

"Huh," Kaylee said, not quite a laugh. "I'll tell you something. It might seem like my usual old theories, but this time I swear I'm right. Zahlia knows way more than she's letting on about Orion." Gina looked a little hesitant, not to mention uncomfortable at the direction this talk had suddenly taken, but Kaylee shook her head, wanting to share it with someone now that the can of worms was open. "Not bad-mouthing her, I swear. It's just fact." Kaylee felt, to her horror, that her throat was tightening at the memory of what she was about to divulge to the other girl. "Zahlia was always disappearing into Orion's room after sundown. Always. Dunno what they were up to, and frankly I don't care," she added, making a desperate stab at nonchalant. She could tell from the way Gina was gnawing on her lower lip that it had failed. "But if you guys really want to know more about Orion, that's where I'd start the questioning."

Gina didn't look like she was doubting Kaylee's information, at least. Her brow was creased, though, like the news of Orion and Zahlia running around together was incomprehensible. "I believe you, about them spending time together," Gina assured her. "I just... don't think it was quite what you think it was. Just seems really out of character."

Kaylee studied her friend's face to try to assess whether or not she was just saying this to make her feel better, but she seemed quite frank. Kaylee sighed and motioned to Growlithe to stand up straight for a Potion.

"All I know is what I saw." Kaylee would never admit it to Gina, or likely anyone else except maybe Beth, but the only reason she knew so much about Orion and Zahlia's night time routines was due to the inordinate amount of time she spent quietly watching his door from the corner of her eye, pretending to be absorbed in other things.

In reality, though, Kaylee figured Gina knew, or at least suspected, that this was the case. Her eyes lingered on the corner where Zahlia had stood, perhaps watching Gina and her battle, perhaps not. What could she say? Unlike some of their members, Kaylee wasn't very good at playing things close to the vest.

* * *

(Gina Ikeda)

Gina's mind felt like a particularly broken sieve these days—one of those that not only freely leaked water, but frequently dropped other items it was supposed to contain. It had taken Kaylee's piece of information to remind her of a barely-caught snippet of conversation between Zahlia and Orion as the team had been traveling to Pallet Town. They'd been talking about nightmares, and Gina, already nowhere near the mood for secrets anymore, resolved to head straight for Zahlia's room right after dinner.

Gina was doing a lot of nudging, poking and digging these days. She wasn't sure what she thought it would accomplish, but it felt infinitely better than doing nothing. Beth was doing much of the same, as was Edith. The three girls had taken to roaming from person to person, asking gently for status checks and feeling out the vibes in the room to try to prevent another outburst like the one that had happened the morning after Orion's disappearance.

The one person Gina couldn't seem to approach was, ironically, her best friend. She'd trained with Jason exactly once since Orion had left, and even then her fellow Initiate had been all-business and silent, two traits she had never seen him display before. Gina told herself she'd work up the nerve to talk to him soon, but somewhere inside she could feel the distance growing.

Zahlia usually ate silently and vanished into her room early, her plate and fork always turning up in the kitchen washed and dried as if by magic. Gina somehow always missed the process of this post-meal cleanup. Sometimes Blake followed her into her room, and sometimes he didn't. Today was one of the days she was alone.

Gina knocked, at first she thought too softly, but a moment later the door slid quietly open. Zahlia's serene face registered brief surprise at seeing her before she stepped back wordlessly to admit her entrance. She seemed to realize this wouldn't be a one-question exchange.

"Hey," Gina said, offering her a light smile. "Sorry if I'm..."

Zahlia shook her head. "Not at all," she supplied before Gina could finish. "What's up?"

It was a casual, colloquial saying Gina was almost certain she'd picked up from one of them over the time they'd spent together. Zahlia seemed so unaltered and poised, even after everything, but little things like this made it clear to Gina that they'd all left their mark on one another. The thought stoked the ever-ready embers of her emotions a bit, and Gina coughed to get her throat unstuck.

"I have a bit of a random question. I... um, a while ago I sort of overheard you and… Orion, talking about his nightmares and I think... Dream Eater?" she asked, phrasing it like a question mainly out of uncertainty over how this topic would be received. Orion's name was a big, shiny red button these days that threatened to set any one of them off into their various flavors of upset.

Zahlia's flavor of upset was a set jaw, the return of her usual closed-off expression, and a protracted silence. Gina literally held her breath while waiting for an answer, if one would come at all.

Finally Zahlia spoke. "Yes. Haunter and I had taken to helping Orion with his nightmares. Through use of Dream Eater."

It was a surprisingly straight-forward answer, but it only begat more questions for Gina. Seeing this, Zahlia sighed and offered elaboration before Gina had to prompt for it.

"It's... not a very common kind of insomnia therapy," Zahlia admitted. "But it seemed to work for him, for a while. Helped him get at least some sleep, anyway."

Gina nodded. "A Pokémon move," she noted. Zahlia's eyes shifted to the left and Gina knew what they were both thinking now. "I guess if it worked for him, it worked for him," she said. "Do you think it would work for any of the rest of us, or do you think it was—"

"Just an Orion thing?" Zahlia asked, the faintest of smirks quirking up the corner of her mouth. "I'm not sure."

In that moment Zahlia looked so incredibly melancholy Gina could hardly stand to keep eye contact. Kaylee had been right about one thing—Orion and Zahlia had spent a lot of time together over the past many weeks. How much more of the younger Harrison's spoken and unspoken theories were true—that Zahlia knew more about Orion's disappearance than she was letting on, or that there had been more than friendship between them—remained to be seen.

"Where do you think eaten dreams go?" Gina asked quietly, not sure where the question came from.

"... I don't know," Zahlia admitted.

* * *

(Zahlia Nakawa)

Zahlia was nowhere near the Pokémon Tower, but she somehow knew that was where this was supposed to be. It looked nothing like Lavender Town, but the feel was the same, and the feeling of being high up tingled in the soles of her bare feet.

The floor was cold. Bone powder littered the ground and as Zahlia walked over it she saw messages scribbled there. She knew she should try to read them, but every time she looked her mind slid seamlessly away to a new train of thought, as if protecting her from what the floor had to say.

All at once the world shifted around her, and the feeling of being high up suddenly increased tenfold. Struck with vertigo, Zahlia groped out for something to hold onto, but her fingers closed on empty air.

The colors were all dark, rich blues and shades of black and grey. Her eyes didn't want to focus on the flat, fake-looking setting, but after a moment she realized what she was looking at. It was a charcoal sketch. She tried to touch it, but once she made contact her own fingers became flat, part of the sketch. Horrified, she pulled back and regained her form and substance.

The blues were melding and morphing together to create a hulking, blunt shape, and though the famous skyline was one any Kanto citizen could trace in their sleep, it took her a very long time to recognize it.

The Indigo Plateau was breathtaking in this psychedelic medium. As she watched the colors bleed together, more like a watercolor now, a figure running against the dark background caught her eye. He seemed solid and two-dimensional at the same time, even as the very ground he ran upon broke away in ashy chunks, the paint and coal breaking, bleeding, and reforming.

Everything seemed to be moving too slowly. Zahlia knew who this person was, as far away and indistinct as he was, and though she wanted to call out to him more than she could ever remember wanting anything in her life, her voice wouldn't obey.

He turned anyway, as if he'd heard her voiceless cry. In the moment his face turned to hers, the pale oval too small to even make out any features, she lurched forward as if pulled by a magnet. He shot forward to meet her halfway, and in the space between their hands met and clasped, both of them part human and part intangible art.

_Where are you? _she thought, still unable to speak.

_How are you here? _he asked her in return, and the rich shade of blue in his eyes deepened and deepened as the invisible artist of this landscape colored them more. Zahlia wondered if her own eyes were smudges of blackest charcoal, impenetrable voids from which no light could escape.

_I don't know, _she thought, and as she felt the first rumble of the world falling away around them she laced her fingers into his tighter. _Where are you? Why can't you come back?_

When Zahlia jerked awake her first reaction was to reach for Haunter's Pokéball beside her on the bed. Her companion had to be taught that Dream Eater couldn't be used on just anyone at any time. Zahlia jammed the button before she was even fully free of the last, confused vestiges of the dream, but when her Pokémon appeared instead of vanishing into red light like she had expected, she had to take a moment to calm down and breathe. The bright, sharp confusion in her mind was impenetrable.

Haunter looked almost as confused as she was to be summoned in such a strange fashion. Zahlia frowned at him, then at the Pokéball in her hand, and finally managed to sign her question to him. The frown on her face coupled with one hand which waved across her temples and forehead asked, _did you use Dream Eater?_

Haunter shook its head vehemently, clearly not wanting to get pinned with a misdemeanor it didn't commit. Her ghost sank through the mattress and lurked under the bed, nervous, and Zahlia flopped backwards onto the bed.

She'd never had a dream like that before, and though she was happy her Pokémon wasn't randomly chomping on dreams without her permission, the fact that Haunter had nothing at all to do with it perturbed her a little.

"I believe you, she said quietly, and Haunter's purple head rose halfway up through the bed to peer at her. "It's okay," she said again, and he emerged and began to float happily around the room, all worries forgotten. She decided he could stay out tonight since he seemed to be in such a good mood about it.

Zahlia got up silently, put the empty Pokéball back on her belt, and slipped out of Orion's empty bedroom. It still smelled like him, and though it had been a comfort to her during the past many sleepless nights, she knew she should nip this habit in the bud. She already thought of him all day while she was awake. She didn't need his presence visiting her in her dreams, as well.

* * *

(Blake Nakawa)

Blake knew Zahlia was distracted since she didn't spot him sitting on the couch when she made the short move from Orion's old room into her own, closing the door silently behind her. Normally she scanned her surroundings and spotted him when he was sitting up late like this. He stared down at the hallway and imagined what would happen if someone else had been sitting here and had seen her leaving Orion's room. Would Jason be mad that she'd been in there, perhaps making him think for one crazy second that his brother had returned? He knew for a fact Kaylee would be silently furious over whatever the heck had been going on between his sister and Orion in the days before he left. Of course Zahlia was saying nothing about any of it.

One thing Zahlia had actually conceded to tell him was about Orion and Dream Eater. Blake was utterly unsurprised that a Pokémon move helped to give Orion peaceful nights, since apparently a Golbat attack hurt him in Lavender Town. Blake wondered what would happen if Dream Eater was used on him, or any of the others. Would they fall into a coma? Be utterly unaffected? Burst into flame?

He shook his head, wishing he could turn off his brain and sleep. He knew he wasn't the only one suffering from insomnia these days, but if the others were silently awake in their rooms, they weren't feeling much like roaming around.

Haunter floated through the wall that Blake knew bordered more bedrooms and came over to him, performing a slow loop-de-loop and grinning. Blake sighed at it.

"You really have to invade people's rooms?" he asked, holding out his hand and allowing Haunter to fly through it a few times. Blake wondered if it felt sort of like a belly rub. All it did was make him feel cold and prickly.

Haunter made a motion to Blake with its disembodied hands, a waving gesture around its face and temples which Blake recognized as his sister's training sign for Dream Eater.

"Uh, that's nice," Blake said, wondering if Haunter could somehow read his mind or something, as he'd just been thinking about that move. "No thank you?" he added, nowhere near sure what Haunter was trying to tell him. Haunter continued to gesture and Blake just frowned at it, shaking his head. "No. No thanks. No Pokémon attack. Bad."

Haunter looked a little distressed now, and in one movement rushed forward through Blake. Blake caught a huge chill, a violent shiver, and a brief flash of some kind of dark blue, sketchy image. His hands tingled hard as if someone had been holding them too tight, and a voice, distressed and distant, asked him a question. Blake shook his head out violently and glared at Haunter, who was turning around and around now as if happy it had shared.

"_No,_" Blake said sternly, wishing Haunter wasn't incorporeal and could feel a sharp tap to the nose with a rolled up newspaper or something. "Bad."

Haunter stuck out its tongue, apparently back in a good mood in spite of the fact that it had just charged Blake and used an attack on him out of the blue. Blake pointed a finger out to try to drive home the _don't go around attacking random people _point, but Haunter reached out and "grabbed" his hand instead.

_Zahlia? _the voice asked the moment they made contact, and Blake almost flipped himself over the arm of the couch in shock.

"The eff?" he asked Haunter, staring at him scandalized. "No means no." Blake got to his feet and left Haunter there, still spiraling around in the air, but another violent shiver accompanied him to his room. He closed the door, knowing it would do absolutely nothing if the ghost wanted to get in, but the gesture made him feel a little better. He had to have a serious talk with Zahlia about her Pokémon and its rebellious teenager phase and boundary issues.

_Wonder if he's trying to tell me something, _Blake thought mildly as he sat back on his bed, a frown on his face. _Or if I'm gonna have a Dream Eater-induced aneurism now. That would suck._

* * *

(Amaris Drake)

"Really... is there any way for me to train it without getting hauled away for cruel and unusual Pokémon abuse?" Gina asked, and though Amaris knew it was a rhetorical question, he responded.

"Clearly. People all over the world have Gyarados, so it stands to reason that there's some way to get around this problem."

His response earned him one of Gina's eye-rolls. "Super helpful, thanks," she said, staring back at Magikarp with a dull expression of hopelessness. "Maybe we could just let it watch us battle with some of our others for a while. Like how you used to train your Abra."

"I somehow can't imagine this Pokémon will evolve as quickly as my Abra did," Amaris said doubtfully, and Gina cast him a glare. "What?" He asked. "That's an honest assessment. Abra could at least use Teleport to flee from battle. Magikarp only has one move and it does literally no damage whatsoever."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm aware thanks. Just bring someone out so we can fight already."

Amaris brought out Wartortle and Gina let Sandshrew spar with it, testing her zippy little Ground-types agility. Magikarp mouthed silently in its bubble of floating water, its blank eyes staring almost through the battle. Amaris honestly doubted it was retaining anything of use.

Halfway through the fight Gav and Victoria emerged from inside the cottage, watching the two of them battle, and Amaris could tell almost at once that they were waiting politely to have words with them. He was sure no one was in trouble, but Gav could hardly be moved from his work station, and Victoria could hardly be moved from his side. If both of them were out in the actual outdoors together, chances were it was team meeting time.

"Yes?" Amaris said, recalling Wartortle suddenly and causing Sandshrew to screech to a halt rather than Scratch at empty air. Gina did a double-take between Amaris and Gav, apparently not noticing or assigning much meaning to the appearance of their friends.

"Sorry for the interruption," Gav said. "We were hoping to talk to you guys about badges a little."

"Badges?" Gina asked, sitting down and missing the fact that the patch of grass she was standing on was wet. She stood back up at once but the damage was done, and she patted hopelessly at her soggy jeans.

"Yes. It seems like the only way to get to Indigo Plateau without running the risk of getting detained by the guards they have posted around the area," Victoria explained. Kaylee, who was nearby, walked over to the conversation as well, crossing her arms.

"Team meeting time?" she asked, and Victoria glanced over at her.

"Maybe," she said. "Trying to determine that now.

"As we know, illegally obtaining badges equals jail time," Gav said. "Though from what I've gathered it's possible to take guests and traveling partners along to Victory Road with you if you have all the badges."

"Good," Blake said from seemingly nowhere. Gina jumped and Amaris glanced behind them to where Blake's voice had come; apparently he was sitting in a tree with his Pidgeotto. "That was my next question. Would sort of suck if we got our hands on these badges and not all of us were even able to reach the Plateau."

"Right," Victoria said. "We're just not sure what the guest limit is."

"So what all do we even have?" Gina asked, lifting her hand to start counting off. "Jason and I both have Boulder and Cascade badges..."

"I've got the Rainbow badge," Amaris noted.

"Obviously we didn't get the Saffron one," Kaylee said, in what sounded like a wan joke. Amaris was peripherally impressed that the perpetually angry girl was still clinging to some semblance of her sense of humor.

"I never got my hands on a thunder badge," Amaris added. "Warren was on one of his typical unannounced sabbaticals. I waited around town for a month."

"Hmm... alright, so we've got three and we need eight." Blake said. "I wonder if the badges are registered. Like, if we were to steal some, would they have serial numbers on them or something that means we'd be tracked?"

The group paused and Amaris had to admit that was a really good question. Gav muttered something under his breath that sounded like "no choice." Then he sighed and rubbed his face.

"Alright, we need to have everyone here. That much is clear. Could someone please go round up the others? And find Jason, he's been roaming around in the forest fighting wilds all day."

* * *

(Jason Fremont)

Jason waited until the last possible moment before giving his order. The slight rustling in the trees had stopped a little while ago, but he could tell the wild Pokémon was still somewhere nearby. In the tense silence before he spoke he felt something that was as close to peace as he could get these days.

"Vine Whip!" he shouted, pointing at the spot he suspected the Pokémon to be. Ivysaur didn't sigh or stretch before striking. Its vines whipped out at once, the sound of them zipping through the air preceding the hard snap of contact. Jason recognized the cracking of tree branches, the rustle of disturbed leaves, and the dull _thwack _of them hitting a live target. A split second later a shrill, enraged squeak announced the imminent attack of an extremely pissed off Pikachu. They were rare in these parts, and as Jason called out attack commands he reached for a Pokéball at his waist.

Ivysaur caught sight of this motion and adjusted its Razor Leaves accordingly, dialing back the strength a little so as not to lower its health too much. The Pikachu was fierce and agile and tumbled to the side, dodging the worst of the flurry. Ivysaur hit it point-blank in the face with Poison Powder and got a Thundershock in return. All the hairs on Jason's arms stood on end. The venom had stuck, though, and Jason knew if he threw the ball now he was almost certain to catch it.

Instead he did nothing, his hand on the chrome sphere. Ivysaur registered his change of plans and, after a fraction of a second of confused hesitation, took the angry rodent out with another Vine Whip. The Pikachu sailed through the woods and crashed into a patch of tall grass, and a moment later Jason could hear it scampering away.

"You didn't want to catch it?"

Jason jumped slightly at the question, feeling a surge of irritation at being snuck up on a moment before he realized it was Edith. He turned to face her and saw she was barefoot again. It must be almost time to muck out the pens.

"Nah," he answered simply, sensing her uncertainty and opening his arms. She smiled at him, clearly relieved, and walked into his embrace, burying her face in the crook of his neck, though she still had to crane her neck down a little to do so as they were almost exactly the same height. Jason hugged her tight and sighed, playing with the ends of her long green bandana.

"You don't have any electric types," Edith pointed out, and Jason closed his eyes.

"Yeah," he said, the unused Pokéball at his waist feeling very heavy now. "That's intentional."

Edith pulled back, arms still looped around his neck, and gave his face a searching, concerned frown. It was her "scanning for injuries" look, but Jason knew she wouldn't find any outward tell of his inner turmoil.

"Will that always be the case?" she asked, and Jason averted his eyes and shrugged.

"Dunno," he said, grateful they didn't seem to be delving too deep into his distaste for Electric types.

"Well... Gav wants us back for a team meeting," Edith explained, and Jason sighed and moved out of her embrace.

"That's nice," he said, but almost before he was done speaking Edith said, "Jason," softly.

"Is it more of the same?" he asked, feeling the now-familiar surge of annoyance at the thought of their absolute lack of action.

"Doesn't seem like it," she said, reaching out to pet Ivysaur as it approached her and holding her other hand out to Jason. After a moment he took it and the two of them walked back to the cottage together.

The sun was setting behind the line of trees by the time they arrived back. Everything seemed to be dyed a bone-deep, mesmerizing scarlet. Everyone was gathered outside, some standing, some crouching, some sitting. Everyone looked uncomfortable.

Gav said nothing as Edith and Jason joined them, and when no one got up to move indoors Jason realized this would be an outdoor meeting. Edith stepped into the Pokémon pen nearby and grabbed her shovel, and Jason leaned against one of the posts, crossing his arms.

"So?" he asked. "What's going on?"

"We need to get to the League," Gav said, and seeing Jason's eye-roll even in the rapidly-fading light, he continued quickly. "For that, we need badges."

"But it's illegal to obtain them through any means besides Leader battles," Amaris said, rubbing his face and sounding as exasperated as Jason felt. He and his fellow Initiate hadn't spoken since their snit earlier in the month, but Jason no longer harbored any real ill feelings towards any of them.

"Right," Gav said, and Jason tried his best to remain patient during this process. It sure sounded like more of the same.

"So our hands are tied," he said, but Gav shook his head.

"... Not necessarily."

It took a second of frowning incomprehension, but then the idea started to blossom in his mind.

For the first time since Orion had left, Jason felt the stirring of something that felt like interest, and maybe even tentative excitement, in his core. However, he refused to jump the gun. "What do you mean?" he asked Gav, even as he noted the looks of dawning realization on Gina's and Amaris' faces as well.

"What I mean is," Gav said, running a hand through his hair and managing the slightest of smirks, "It's time for you three to pick up your Master journeys again."

* * *

_((Author's Note: Here it is: the enormous monster chapter that now ends Pokemon Scarlet. I'll be starting on the next arc, Pokemon Crimson, very soon and updating a new blog along the way to keep people posted on updates and such. The blog is **pokemonrose DOT wordpress DOT com**. Hope you find it useful, interesting or at least silly eventually. I'll still be posting some real life rants there every so often.))_


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